


Turn up the stereo

by vexmybones



Series: tethered to the sun [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Darcyland, F/M, Loki Does What He Wants, Loki Needs a Hug, M/M, Multi, Not Beta Read, Thor Is Not Stupid, Unreliable Narrator
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-09
Updated: 2016-04-03
Packaged: 2018-04-03 14:50:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 23,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4104883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vexmybones/pseuds/vexmybones
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When she said she needed a vacation Darcy really wasn't expecting an 'off planet' one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Home sweet, nope.

**Author's Note:**

> Loki just wouldn't let me leave this alone, so due to his incessant nagging you get this. Also, here, have a pic of a [kitty](http://41.media.tumblr.com/b67be6bbb811765a18e0dcdf472880c2/tumblr_n3gj3aodlx1sua7odo1_500.jpg) that may or may not be in this... And I should probably mention that if you haven't read [Simmer down and pucker up](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2383067) this may not make much sense. Probably. Oh, and one more thing, the lyrics are from Made In Heights' 'Viices'. It has a cosmic vibe to it and is pretty awesome. Okies, that's everything, so enjoy!!

 

_‘See the future drivin’ in my rocket._

_Fly to other galaxies, stimulate our eyelids._

_Enjoy the ride now, baby I’m the pilot._

_Hear the engine revvin’, all the demons they survive it.’_

 

\- - -

 

The problem with humans isn’t only their frail and all too trusting nature, no. It’s their mortality that poses as the biggest problem. Compared to other alien races, the span of your average human is but a mere ant in a race of giants: one step for the giant is miles for the poor ant. But every few eons or so there is always that one soft-hearted deity that feels pity for the ant and meddles, and gives the ant a potion to make it bigger, stronger even. And everyone knows that meddling is dangerous… and very fun.

 

\- - -

 

“ _GIRL, YOU GOTTA WONDER, GIRL, YOU GOTTA WONDER, GIRL, YOU GOTTA WONDER ‘BOUT A MAN LIKE THAT!”_  Darcy’s hips move to the beat, the tail of her skirt flipping up just like in Dirty Dancing as Bucky spins her out with a wicked smirk at the lyrics she’s singing along to. Her hair is a wild halo of waves shimmying with their steps, color high on her cheeks, and she’s out of breath when his right arm pulls her back to his chest and he dips her over his left in a dramatic fashion. The music bleeds into something a little slower and grittier as she straightens, looping her arms around his neck and fitting herself against him comfortably. She grins at his clear eyes and the way he winks at her as if they were back in his heyday and not in a club she found online.

“Think they’ve left us yet?” She has to lean up, her lips brushing the shell of his ear just to be heard over the music.

He cranes his neck around to the table where they’d left Steve, Sam, Barton, and Natasha and shakes his head, nodding towards them. She hangs from his neck to lean to his left and catches Clint’s gaze in the act of sulking. Darcy laughs and slumps against Bucky’s chest with a sigh. Sure, Barton can dirty dance to nasty rap like no one’s business but stick him in a club with a swing-vibe and he’s an awkward duck. Bucky on the other hand is magnificent.

The song ends and Darcy taps the back of Bucky’s neck and walks him back a couple steps before he releases his hold on her and takes her hand, the metal of his fingers warm. Sam kicks out a chair for her and Bucky falls into one next to Steve, his head automatically finding a spot on his boyfriend’s broad shoulder. Natasha snaps a picture.

“I need a drink, someone… anyone?” Darcy pulls an honest to God hanky from her clutch and uses it to dab at the sweat that’s gathered on her exposed skin. Clint narrows his eyes at her for a whole ten seconds (she counts) before he pushes his half-full beer across the table. She gives him a beaming smile as she snatches it up before he changes his mind, and drains it. He sits back with a huff.

“Can we go home now?” Clint’s sullen question is met by a collective ‘not yet’.

“I’ve been promised _one_ dance and I intend to get it,” Bucky says despite the way Steve’s shaking his head.

“Come on, Rogers, put him out of his misery or he’ll be whining all the way home,” Sam shrugs at the glare Bucky sends him.

They watch as Nat stands, her curve hugging, forties-esque green dress catching the light when she pushes her chair in and extends a hand to Sam. His face lights up like a kid at Christmas. Clint pouts even harder.

“Lord. Fine, come on, jerk. Think you’ve got one more left in ya?” Steve asks at Bucky’s exaggerated sigh. His responding grin is all the answer anyone needs, though.

And so leaves Darcy and her pouty archer.

“Cheer up, Robin Hood, I’ll dance with you next time,” she says and toes at his ankle.

He captures her foot between his ankles and a slow, easy grin blooms over his face. “I know. I just wanted to get you alone so I can annoy you with too personal questions.”

“Barton!” The little shit just chuckles and crosses his arms over his chest and eyes her.

“So spill… Have you gotten him between the sheets yet?”

“That is absolutely none of your business,” she grits out, her fingers plucking at an errant thread on her hanky. “Besides, you _know_ I haven’t.” Darcy is the one pouting this time.

“Ah, duties call, huh?” he asks and some of his original smugness fades.

Darcy nods and slumps back into her chair, wandering eyes falling on Steve and Bucky dancing almost too close to be considered decent but her mind literal light years away. Since she’d stepped into Jane’s shoes as Thor’s ‘Lady Love’, as the others were horrid enough to call her, they hadn’t actually spent all that much time together. In fact, they’d spent more time on her couch when they _weren’t_ dating. And how weird is that? She’s dating (courting?) an alien. She’d never thought her secret nerd addiction to outer space could progress, but boy was she wrong. Jane stares at her sometimes and Darcy catches herself staring at printouts of stars, her mind on a stellar walkabout. It makes her feel guilty in the worst way because to an extent she has _become_ Jane.

She knew what she was getting into, but it still sucks.

Tonight had been a desperate attempt to get her mind off of things, and it had been working. Not so much anymore, though. They’d only shared two months together before he’d returned to Asgard and for the last six months this had been her life. Staring into space (pun utterly intended) and lost inside her head. Darcy draws her gaze back to Clint and finds a crease in his brow, so she sucks it up and smiles. Dating a mythical Norse god was an honor, not a reason to be depressed, right?

“Okay, _my_ feet hurt just watching you move in those things,” Sam tells Nat as he takes his seat.

“Don’t let her fool you, she’ll be begging me to rub her feet when we get home.”

Clint groans and rubs the back of his head making them laugh as Nat smirks from behind his seat.

It’s a few minutes before Steve and Bucky join them but when they do they all decide to call it a night. It’s a short ride back to the tower and Darcy is a little happier once she’s said her goodbyes and taken her shoes off in the elevator. Jarvis tells her that Jane is actually sleeping and she sighs in relief that she too might be able to grab some shuteye. Saying goodnight to the AI she steps out onto her floor, humming quietly as she makes her way down the hall. The door to her apartment clicks open when she’s five feet in front of it and she smiles as she pushes into the dark space. Not bothering with the light she moves into the kitchen and drinks a glass of water then heads into her bedroom.

Chucking her shoes into the closet, she twists her arms back at an awkward angle to get her zipper down all while contemplating if she’s too tired to shower now or will be even more tired in the morning. With a victory huff she shimmies out of her dress and hangs it up then pivots to dig through her dresser for a sports bra and clean underwear. Getting up early to shower will be more of a bitch, she decides. After taking her contacts out she steps under the automatically hot spray with a sigh. It helps the ache of her muscles after dancing but it doesn’t touch the ache in her heart. She misses Thor, his bright smile, gentle hands, tight hugs… she misses the stories of Asgard that she’d gotten used to falling asleep to.

See, she hadn’t been completely honest with Barton.

Now, Darcy didn’t exactly lie. They _haven’t_ had sex yet, but they had fooled around a few times before he had to leave. Nothing even R-rated, though. But she misses him and the way he held her, always seeking her permission before he even moved a pinky out of line. He’s such a prince. Darcy laughs into the spray as she tips her head back, the irony of her thoughts not lost on her. She’s had eight months to come to terms with the fact that she isn’t only Thor’s quirky friend anymore. Eight months to piece together the puzzle that brought them together. And she still isn’t any closer to figuring it out.

As she rinses the conditioner out of her locks she recalls that day in the diner. She _knows_ who she saw. She doesn’t understand it, but she knows it was Loki. And for some unknown reason to her he had helped point her in Thor’s direction. It has plagued her for eight long months… and it has been her secret. At first she’d wanted to tell Thor but was afraid he’d turn the frown that he gave anyone who mentioned his estranged (and presumed dead) brother on her. And Darcy couldn’t have that. She did not under any circumstances want to be the cause for that frown, that grief that shone and dimmed his brilliant eyes. She just _wouldn’t_. So she’d remained silent and opted to keep her eyes open instead. But she hadn’t seen hide or hair of the trickster since.

Was keeping it from him going to come back and bite her in the ass? Probably. But she would stand by her reasons.

Shutting the water off she steps out of the stall and dries off, her mind heavier than when she entered. She slathers on lotion and finds her glasses on the messy sink then gets ready for bed. Only after drying her hair does she exit the bathroom, and comes to a halt. There, in front of the windows stands a silhouette in the darkness of her bedroom. The light of the city illuminates angles and casts shadows, and Darcy would have been startled if she hadn’t dreamt this for the past six months. She swallows the rising lump in her throat and white-knuckles the lapels of her fuzzy purple bathrobe. He turns slightly towards her, his cape flowing with the movement, and her skin pimples with goose bumps at the weight of his eyes. He’s too far in the shadows for her to see his features clearly just yet but the timbre of his voice fills her mind with spiraling colors.

_‘Darcy…’_

It’s nearly a whisper but she swears it’s spoken directly into her ear, for all she’s dreamed of it. Her limbs move of their own accord, ‘ _he’s here he’s here he’s here’_ rings throughout her head like the bells of a church. His laugh when she throws herself into his arms is hearty, welcoming, and oh-so warm. Her feet leave the floor as his hands find her waist and lift her into the air. Her hands brace against his shoulders as she gazes down into those shining eyes and she blinks rapidly to keep the prick of happy tears at bay. Her arms link around his neck reluctant to release him as he slowly lowers her down. But to her surprise he doesn’t put her back onto her feet, instead he draws her flush against his torso and with a movement that makes her gasp he bands his arms around her thighs, just under her behind. 

His eyes ask if the hold is acceptable and in response Darcy peppers tiny kisses all over his face. She slides a palm under the weight of his plaited hair and around to cup his nape as she lowers her lips to his. His lips smile under hers and his hold tightens around her. It’s a chaste kiss considering they’ve been apart for the past six months but Darcy is okay with it. She doesn’t have any plans to rush. Pulling back, she sniffles and smiles at him. He watches her intently like he’s memorizing her face and it colors her cheeks a rosy hue.

“You’re here.”

She doesn’t say ‘home’ because she knows his is among the stars.

“Aye, I am.”

“I’ve missed you.”

“And I you,” he presses warm lips against hers once more.

Darcy wraps her arms around his head in a moment of silliness and holds him to her. Thor chuckles quietly and she feels his grin against her neck before he bends and her feet touch the floor again. Letting go of him she brushes errant strands of wheat colored wisps away from his brow that her excitement roused. His hand finds a home on her hip and steadies her as she takes a step back.

“How long are you here for?”

“I’ve come back for you,” he says with a hint of hopefulness in his tone.

Darcy arches a brow at him and rights her glasses. “That wasn’t an answer…”

“It was…”

She snorts at his adorableness and places her hands on her hips.

“It is late, can we not speak of this in the morning?”

“You’re being awfully cagey.”

Thor heaves a sigh and Darcy realizes now that he looks tired. She decides to let it go for now and waves a dismissive hand. Turning to the bed she unties her robe and tosses it to the chair in the corner. Casting a glance over her shoulder at him she reaches a hand back and wiggles her fingers.

“I was about to go to bed and you look like you could use a nap, care to join me?”

“Yes,” he nods looking relieved.

Crawling into bed Darcy leaves her glasses on for the moment and she burrows down into the covers. Thor isn’t shy as he strips off his garments and she watches with rapt attention. He gives her a knowing smile and it disappears behind his shirt before reappearing. She points at the dresser and without a word he moves and goes to one of ‘his’ drawers where she’d stowed his ‘Midgard wear’. She would be disappointed that his back is to her when he shucks his pants but the view is pretty damn fine in her opinion. He steps into a pair of sweatpants and Darcy almost whines when he covers up all that skin, but she refrains.

Once he’s unfortunately semi-decent he moves with quiet steps and sits on the edge of the bed. Darcy momentarily forgets what he’s doing until he shoots her a questioning look over his shoulder. Her mouth makes an ‘o’ of recognition and she sits up and scoots closer to him, kneeling behind him. She takes a second to leave kisses on his bare shoulders and some of the tension in him visibly dissipates. With nimble fingers she plucks the ties woven into his plait and carefully dismantles the strands. When the waves slither through her fingers she rubs the pads of her fingertips against his scalp from nape to crown. His groan of relief as he lets his head fall forward makes her smile. Thor had once told her that it was considered an honor of the highest when a bride unbound her husband’s hair. She figured it was similar to the Samson stories she’d grown up with, but she vowed never to be like Delilah.

Darcy moves his hair aside and sets her chin on his shoulder, her arms linking loosely about his torso. He leans back into her embrace letting his head rest back in the crook of her shoulder and brings a hand up clasping her forearm. It’s a seemingly innocent moment but Darcy feels like she can breathe for the first time in six months. His eyes are closed when he speaks.

“You have been well?”

“The usual, nothing too exciting going on here. How’s Asgard?”

“It is thriving,” he shrugs slightly and takes a deep breath. “I am sorry I could not return to you sooner. There were many things to see to and I could not escape my duties.”

“Don’t apologize! You’re the Prince! I wouldn’t expect you to spend all of your time here being bored just because of me.”

“I am never bored in your presence, Darcy.” Letting go of her, he gently removes himself from her hold and stands. She watches him stretch and can’t help the yawn that attacks her face. When she blinks the water from her eyes she finds him smiling down at her. “It is time for rest, I think. We can continue this conversation tomorrow, yes?”

Darcy nods and scurries back into her spot as he skirts around the bed to the other side. She removes her glasses and places them on her nightstand before flopping over onto her left just as Thor’s sliding into her sheets. He holds the blanket up, his arms wide and Darcy doesn’t have to be asked. She moves into the space like a magnet is pulling her and sighs as he arranges them until he’s satisfied. In the warm circle of his arms with her head tucked beneath his chin, their legs tangled, and his heartbeat her lullaby; it’s only a few moments before she drops off.

 

-

 

The next morning Darcy wakes up sprawled across a sculpted chest and to fingertips ghosting up and down the back of her slack arm. Her lips smack together as her lashes flutter open and she’s greeted by happy yellow rays streaming through her window and the underside of a stubbled jaw. Rolling off of her chiseled pillow with a groan she stretches and yawns sounding like a baby dinosaur. When she collapses limply back onto the mattress and glances to her left she finds an amused expression and a sleep rumpled Thor.

“Good morning,” he says and his voice skips down her spine with the way it’s lazy and husky from sleep.

“Mornin’,” she replies and offers him a small smile. Rolling onto her side, she pats a hand against his chest and he captures her hand and holds it flat over his heart. “You hungry?”

“I could eat…”

Darcy rolls her eyes and groans as she stifles another yawn against his shoulder. She feels him press his lips to the crown of her head and wonders how in the hell she’d gotten so lucky. Her lips press gratefully to his skin before she pulls back and sits up.

“J, what time is it and is anyone in the kitchen?”

“It is 8:37AM, and yes, some are gathered in the kitchen at the present.

“Anyone cooking?”

“Sir has just requested that Agent Barton make waffles,” Jarvis replies helpfully and Darcy groans.

“Okay, thanks J.”

“You are most welcome, Miss Darcy. And may I say welcome back to Midgard, Thor.”

“You can and it’s good to be here again. Thank you, Jarvis.”

Climbing out of bed Darcy pads over to the dresser and fishes for comfy clothes since it was going to be a (hopefully) lazy Saturday. She tosses a shirt onto the bed with Animal from The Muppets on the front that says ‘BANG, BANG!’ and smirks at Thor’s laugh. Slipping into the bathroom she pees then proceeds to get a little more presentable. Fixing the annoying layers around her face up into a loose poof she secures it with a couple bobby pins then brushes her teeth. She swipes on a tiny bit of mascara and some strawberry chap stick before pulling on a pair of purple yoga pants and a plain black T-shirt. She opens up a new toothbrush and sticks it next to the sink where it’ll be seen and turns to go.

Emerging from the bathroom she finds Thor admiring the shirt she’d given him and he smiles at her, his hand brushing her waist as they trade places. Darcy disappears into her closet and comes out a minute later swaddled in her favorite Batman hoodie. Nodding at her reflection in her Cheval mirror that doubles as a massive jewelry box she grabs her phone off the nightstand then puts her glasses on, blinking as everything comes into focus. A moment later Thor comes out of the bathroom and without saying anything he walks to her and cradles her face between his hands then leans down and makes her forget how to breathe.

“What was that for?” she inquires breathlessly as her hands smooth over his pecs.

“You are beautiful in the morning light and I forgot myself.”

Darcy feels heat climb her throat to stain her cheeks and leans up on tip-toe to smack a kiss to his grinning mouth. She pulls back before she lets her inner strumpet take the reins and make them any later than they already are. Taking his hand she laces her fingers with his and tugs him out of the bedroom. They leave the apartment barefoot and smiling.

“Did you steal one of my elastics?” she glances up at his hair that’s been brushed and pulled back into a tie.

“Borrowed,” he smiles down at her as the elevator door slides open.

“I could have braided it for you, you know.”

He nods with a shrug. “I am anxious to see my …friends,” it sounds like he’s trying the word out and his smile widens when he finds it fitting.

“Am I the only one that knows you’re back?”

“Yes. Friend Jarvis let me in,” his arm snakes out and tugs her into his side, his voice lowering just for her as he continues. “I could not wait to hold you again.”

With her heart tripping at his words she practically beams at him and him at her and that’s when the door opens.

“It’s rocket man!!”

Darcy crosses her eyes at Tony’s much too awake tone and makes Thor laugh. His arm tightens around her in a reassuring squeeze then he leads her out of the elevator. Everyone greets Thor with smiles and handshakes as Darcy eases away from him and heads to the coffee pot where, not surprisingly, Clint is perched on the counter, hands wrapped around a steaming mug. He gives her a grunt when she peeks into his cup and guesstimates that he’s only a cup in due to the lack of actual speech. Working around him she manages to get her own mug out of the cabinet he’s in front of, and fills it full. Leaning back against the counter with her hip pressed into the archer’s thigh, her first sip is with a sigh followed by a blonde head falling onto her shoulder. Absently she reaches up with her free hand and scratches behind Barton’s ear like he’s her pet cat.

Speaking of…

Natasha walks into the kitchen with a fluffy, white shawl draped across her chest. It hisses at Tony and he backs against the island to avoid sharp claws. Nat gently strokes her hand down the cat’s head as Darcy sits her cup down and dislodges Clint from her shoulder. Making grabby hands, she smiles, Tony’s muttered objections at having an animal in the tower falling on deaf ears.

“She found her way into my apartment, again,” Nat says conversationally as she transfers the cat into Darcy’s open arms.

Darcy buries her face in the fluff that is her rescued cat and gets a lick to her cheek and a meow in greeting. Two weeks after Thor had left for Asgard Nat, Clint, and Barnes had taken her to the closest shelter and ordered her to pick _something_. Sure, she took care of her scientists but she figures they got tired of her moping around their places because hers had been so empty. So Darcy had walked around for ten minutes then fell in love at first sight. Nat had assured her that no one had an allergy and she’d signed away another piece of her heart on the spot. Not all that shockingly, Stark and her cat did not get along.

It only took a week to figure it out after the third time the cat had magically entered his shop and knocked ‘important’ things off his tables. He’d taken to calling her ‘little destroyer’ and since Darcy hadn’t decided on a name just yet she’d done a little research, got sidetracked by an entire book series in the process, and wound up calling the new addition ‘Apollymi’. What with the way the cat’s eyes were two vastly different colors (one an orange/gold and the other a cerulean blue) and reminded her of the stars; naming her after an Atlantean Goddess of destruction seemed like the thing to do.

“There’s my baby,” Darcy croons, holding the cat to her chest and nuzzling her nose, the cat’s striking eyes closing on a purr.

“That demon shouldn’t be in the kitchen.”

“Call her that again and I’ll convince her to smother you in your sleep,” Darcy grins at Apollymi before looking up to Natasha. “Has she eaten yet?” The redhead shakes her head and slides past her. Darcy nods and gives Tony the evil eye, going into the living room to find her better half.

“And who is this?”

“This is Apollymi,” she smiles softly up at Thor when he turns from the doorframe toward her. “I rescued her from an animal shelter shortly after you went home. It got kinda boring without you on the couch.”

“Ah, I see,” he says with a knowing gaze then surprises her by leaning down eye-to-eye with Apollymi and speaks to the animal as if she can comprehend him (Darcy really loves her boyfriend). “Thank you for keeping my Darcy company, Lady Apollymi.”

The cat leans forward, whiskers twitching as she sniffs him and two beats later she bumps her little pink nose into Thor’s cheek finding him worthy. Tony’s affronted grunt behind them is ignored. Darcy nearly melts as Thor straightens and promptly plucks Apollymi from her hold to cradle to his chest like an infant. And really, it’s like seeing a man with a baby; same funny feeling in her stomach. Stroking a palm over the cat’s white back, she leans up pecking Thor on the cheek before stepping back and dusting off. Turning she shoos everyone out of the kitchen and moves to wash her hands, knowing if she doesn’t cook no one will.

 

-

 

Forty five minutes later the table is littered with scraps of food, all of the chairs around said table are occupied, and the air is filled with comfortable chatter. Darcy’s leaned back against her chair where Thor’s arm is draped and nursing her fourth cup of coffee. She and Jane are having a staring contest because there’s three pieces of bacon left lying all alone on the platter and she can’t decide if she’s too full to fight her best friend over them. Jane’s hand slowly reaches towards the platter and oblivious to the conversation flowing around her, Darcy trades her mug for her fork and prepares to stab fingers if necessary. (It’s not A-1 steak sauce, but it _is_ bacon. Yeah, it’s that important.)

Just as Darcy makes a dive for the bacon, fork at the ready, Jane’s hand stills and her eyes go wide. Ignorant, Darcy claims her victory and revels in the crunchy goodness of her spoils. She’s mid-chew when she notices that the table has gone quiet. Glancing at Barton directly across from her, he cocks an eyebrow at her and leans back crossing his arms over his chest.

“What?” she asks once she swallows her bite of bacon.

“I was asking Lady Jane if she could spare you, Darcy,” Thor smiles at her when she ticks her gaze to him, drawn by his comment.

“Spare me? Spare me from what?”

“Her laboratory, of course.”

“Her lab, of course… Uh, but _why_ would she have to ‘spare’ me?”

“I wish to take you to Asgard.”

“You – As…” Darcy loses the ability to form coherent sentences and breaks her gaze from Thor’s as she blindly reaches for her mug and downs the remains of her coffee.

“It is once again a peaceful time in the realm and I would be pleased if you returned with me,” Darcy wonders if at the breakfast table with their friends watching is the best place to have this discussion, but since technically Jane, or Tony really, is her boss, then… “I’m sure Lady Jane has told you of her visit?”

Darcy just nods and catches Jane out of the corner of her eye lower her head. Yeah, she remembers how Jane had cried and felt guilty over Frigga and Loki’s deaths. She swallows thickly, her secret making her throat itch. Blinking Thor into focus, she searches his eyes. They’re earnest, _hopeful_ and how can she say no to him? Not to mention she’ll actually get to go to _ASGARD_ and see where him and Loki grew up, get the chance to see Sif and the guys again, and oh my fuck… She’s gonna meet Odin. Making a squeaking sound she looks around the table at her friends (family) and wonders if they’ll survive without her. As always, Bucky reads her mind.

“Go on, doll. Get outta town for a few. Natasha and I will watch Apollymi.” Nat nods her agreement and so does Clint where the cat’s curled up in his lap sound asleep.

“It is beautiful, Darce,” Jane says quietly and smiles albeit a little sadly at her.

“I promise not to blow up the tower or anything. Jesus, you’d think we’re all her pets or something!” Tony huffs into his coffee making Darcy simultaneously feel warm inside and roll her eyes.

“Bring me back a souvenir?” Steve says around a mouthful of biscuit and winks at her.

Darcy figures that majority rules and she really would love being with Thor for a change. Seeing him in his natural element has to be worth the trip. So mind made, she turns her smile back onto Thor and nods enthusiastically.

“Okay.”

“You’ll come with me?”

“Yep,” she pops the ‘p’ and squeaks when she’s engulfed in his arms, his jubilant laughter filling her head.

Thor pulls her into his side and raises his glass of orange juice. Darcy watches with barely confined laughter as the others follow suit and hoist whatever beverage they have into the air. She raises her empty mug just as Thor says: “TO ASGARD!” and everyone cheerfully salutes their imminent trip. 

 

 


	2. I'm the queen of space.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy and Thor leave for Asgard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is longer than usual... I got carried away, I think. It happens when space travel is involved. Also, if you aren't listening to Sleeping At Last's 'Moon' (instrumental) on repeat when Darcy touches down in the golden palace well, you're not as cool as I thought. (Totally kidding, go read you beautiful you.)

 

 

The next day dawns with clear blue skies and a feel of anticipation blooming in Darcy’s stomach. She lies in bed, head on Thor’s chest, his fingers tangled and slack in her unruly curls, and refuses to open her eyes although she’s been awake for ten minutes. She knows because she’s been counting the seconds as they tick by on her Alice in Wonderland themed clock that hangs over her headboard. She’s excited and at the same time so very nervous about leaving in a couple hours. The previous day had been spent lounging around with their friends and making plans while they watched movies, and her anxiousness has been mounting. Thor was probably more excited than she was, truth be told. It’s not that she _isn’t_ thrilled to be going on vacation with him to freaking Asgard, nope, it’s just… No Wi-Fi, no phone, no Tony and Jane or Barton and Barnes – no _Netflix_! And not to mention, you know, meeting Thor’s dad. Her heart pounds heavily against her ribcage as she squeezes her eyes shut tighter against her rising anxiety, her nails digging unconsciously into Thor’s sternum where her hand rests.

His fingers twitch in her hair and his body tenses slightly under her. Darcy winces as his sleepy voice says her name in fuzzy alarm. Removing her nails from his ribs with a sheepish, mumbled apology she cracks an eye open to peer up at him. Thor stretches languidly under her, the pads of his fingertips caressing her scalp before he frees his hand and suddenly she’s on her back with him hovering over her. His unbound hair is a wheat colored curtain around their heads and Darcy can’t help but smile.

“Good morning,” she whispers.

Thor’s response is a smile and it’s slow and warms her heart, but it’s his following kiss that warms her blood. Only when her toes curl does he pull back and search her face. (By the way she’d like it to be known that ‘morning wood’? Yeah, it happens to alien gods, too.) She sweeps his hair over one of his broad shoulders and cups his jaw as he speaks.

“Your heart woke me… and your claws. Are you well?”

If Darcy wasn’t already flushed from the making-out part of their morning she would blush. She knew she shouldn’t have gone for the purple stiletto nails but Barton’s face had been priceless and he’d gotten her _ice cream_! She nods at Thor and apologetically pets his hair with her free hand.

“I’m fine, was just thinking.”

“You do not wish to go to Asgard, do you?”

Her hand stills at his question and she doesn’t hesitate to shake her head, bringing her other palm up to cage his face between them. “Of course I want to go! I’m just… I guess I’m a little bit nervous,” she admits.

“But there is no need for your apprehension,” he says, his brows knitting.

Releasing his face she shoves lightly at his shoulder and he gracelessly rolls off of her and onto his back with an exaggerated sigh. Darcy follows him and slings her leg over his hips, settling down atop his thighs. Shoving her hair off her shoulders she toys with a loose thread at the hem of her shirt, trying to find the right words.

“It’s the first time I’ll be off-planet, the first time I’ll be away from Jane for more than a week in a long time, and…” she sucks in a breath before meeting his eyes and just letting the words tumble out. “I’m going to meet your dad, Thor, the frickin’ _All-Father_!”

“Would you wish Lady Jane to join us? She has done those things and faired well.”

Darcy groans childishly, and loudly, and collapses forward onto Thor’s torso to hide her face against his chest, a whine in her tone. “Nooooo, I don’t want Jane to go with us,” her voice is muffled against his bare skin. “I’m just being stupid. It’s just space travel, right? Always wanted to be a damn astronaut…”

Thor hums quietly and she snuggles into him when his arms wrap around her lumped frame. “Darcy, you will be perfectly safe. Heimdall will be watching over us and I assure you I almost _never_ get lost.” She detects humor in his voice and is tempted to sink her purple claws into him again. She grunts all unlady-like as he gently manhandles her back and sits up with her, fingers brushing her hair out of her face so he can see her. “I promise you that there isn’t any reason for worry. Everyone will adore you and while Father can be difficult, he will see what _I_ see in you and accept you.” Darcy opens her mouth to protest but Thor presses a finger to her lips in the apparently universal sign for ‘shhh’. “Lady Sif will be there and Volstagg and Fandral are never far behind. You are acquainted with them, are you not?” She nods and he removes his finger. “See, you will be in good company then. I told them of my hopes to have you return to Asgard with me and they were most joyful. And I shall not leave your side, is that enough to ease your worries?”

She shrugs but some of the anxiety does indeed leave her. She was kinda awed by Thor’s kickass friends the last time she saw them. And if she were being honest she wanted to be Sif when she grew up, that woman was decidedly epic. Thor’s knowing smile is adorable and Darcy huffs, rolling her eyes at him.

“What about Hogun? You didn’t mention him.”

“Ah, once the wars ceased he remained in his realm with his family. He is well.”

“Wait, he’s not Asgardian?”

“No, he is of Vanir.”

“Ohhh…” Darcy threads her bottom lip between her teeth, worrying it as she flips through pictures in her mind of Yggdrasil that she’d taken to studying. See, she does pay attention every now and then.

“You have no idea what that is, do you?” Thor laughs teasingly.

Darcy playfully slaps his arm and he groans in mock agony, his arms snaking about her as he falls back to the mattress with her.

“I’ll have you know that I _researched_ while you were off rubbing elbows with the stars.”

“Darcy, my beloved, one cannot rub elbows with a star,” he says deadpan making her groan, “AS,” he speaks over her drawn out death rattle, “IT WOULD BE MOST DEADLY!”

Squirming in an attempt to get free of the steel cage his arms make around her, her laughter is easy and rings through the room. Unable to break his hold she plays dirty and bites at his collarbone only making _him_ wiggle under her in interesting ways. Nipping her way up his throat, it’s somewhere between his jaw and his ear that his hold loosens and his hands find purchase on her hips. Darcy draws back enough to meet his gaze and her stomach swoops at the way his eyes have darkened with something other than joy. Thor’s hands slide up her sides until his thumbs are just so, hooked under the curve of her breasts. She can feel his hardness where she straddles him and if she were to rock her hips just a little she bets it’d make his grip all that much tighter, and his control slip a tiny bit. Gods, but she wants him. Dipping her head in she presses her lips to his. It’s a slow kiss that gets dirtier the deeper she takes it and if her hips move and his hands travel upwards a little more, well, she isn’t complaining. A few minutes later when his teeth tug at her bottom lip and cause her hips to jerk involuntarily they both groan, and it would be so easy to just –

“Meow.”

White ears appear first before a fluffy body bounds up onto the bed next to Thor’s shoulder. Darcy groans and Thor laughs as Apollymi headbutts him and pats at her with a paw. Burying her face into the other side of Thor’s neck she sighs as his hands retreat to a more respectable place on her waist, but she doesn’t bother moving from her spot.

“I should have named her Lucifer,” Darcy grumbles.

“I am sorry to interrupt, Miss Darcy, Thor, but Sir requested that I inform you that breakfast will be served on the common floor in thirty minutes.”

“Thanks, J.”

“You are most welcome.”

Darcy pushes back and eyes her little cockblocker where she’s happily purring away and kneading Thor’s shoulder. Said blonde glances at her with a happy grin decorating his features and Darcy needs all the coffee in the world. In a single smooth move she pats her beau’s chest, scoops up Apollymi, and removes herself from the bed.

“You know, I could just lock her out and then we can spend the day in bed and—”

“But we would miss the morning feast…” he actually pouts at her and it makes her laugh.

“God, you and food. Go on then, I’ll feed this,” she waves the cat around and Apollymi just stares at her as she hangs limply over her arm, “while you get dressed.”

She’s a step away from the door when arms band about her waist and pull her back. Thor leans down and places a barely there kiss to her shoulder where her shirt has slid down and Darcy inhales deeply. His breath is warm against the shell of her ear.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” she whispers back and the last of her trepidation falls away.

 

\- - -

 

“I think I’ll miss you most of all, Tin Man.”

“That’s not the right line there, doll.”

“Would you just shut up and love me?”

Bucky meets Steve’s eyes over Darcy’s head with a grin and wraps his arms around her shoulders. He rolls his eyes as Steve steps closer to sandwich her between them and hug both of them. Darcy sniffles against his chest, her hands clenched into the back of his shirt. Resting his chin atop her head, Bucky admits to himself that it’s gonna suck not having her around for a few weeks. Since he’d moved into the madhouse that Stark built he’d grown overly fond (and protective) of the woman in his arms. And if the glare Barton is shooting him and Steve at the present, he isn’t the only one who has.

“Come on guys, it’s my turn!”

The archer’s declaration makes Darcy laugh and her grip loosens. Steve lets his arms drop and takes a step back as Bucky straightens and she looks up at him. If her eyes are watery he doesn’t mention it.

“You know where my stash is.”

Bucky nods reaching up with metal fingers to gently swipe an errant lock off the apple of her cheek, his voice a conspiratorial whisper; “I know the code and everything.”

“I already told J that you’re allowed so you don’t need it, but you better restock it if you eat it all!”

Steve’s snort of laughter makes Darcy’s eyes sparkle and Bucky smirks down at her.

“I promise,” he vows and leans in pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Now go on and have a good time. We’ll hold down the fort till you get back.”

Darcy nods and surprises him by surging up onto her tiptoes, flinging her arms around his neck tightly. Steve arches a brow at him with a soft smile. Bucky squeezes her back willing the pricking at the back of his eyes to piss off. “Don’t let Cap do anything stupid,” she whispers before letting him go, the command startling a laugh out of him. He’s grinning at Steve’s exasperated expression as Darcy turns around and snakes her arms around his middle. Her “Keep him safe,” whispered into Steve’s chest makes his heart stutter and he swallows around a lump of emotion. Steve meets his eyes over her head and promises to do just that. Bucky feels _things_ and he did not sign up for this today. When Darcy lets go of Steve she taps her fingers against his chest directly over his heart then steps away with a smile.

Steve moves to his side as she walks over to Barton and Natasha and Bucky isn’t surprised when fingers lace through his, an anchor. They watch as Clint wraps Darcy up in his arms in a hold that lifts her feet from the ground, her laughter bright as the sun glaring down at them on the landing pad. Darcy wrestles playfully with the archer for a minute before Nat breaks them up claiming the brunette for herself. She promises to take care of Apollymi and kisses Darcy’s cheek then winds her arms around Barton’s waist. Bucky smirks when he huffs at being held back as Darcy makes her getaway.

Darcy walks across the pad to where Stark stands talking to Thor and Bucky notes the way the fella’s face lights up like a Christmas tree at her approach. Darcy tucks herself into his side as Tony’s hands wave dramatically with his words. Bucky finds the gestures familiar and he hates to admit that they’re somewhat comforting.

“Just like Howard,” Steve whispers to him and Bucky can’t help the quiet laugh that escapes him at the visual Steve just gave him.

“Get outta my head, punk.”

“Make me.”

“Wait until our girl leaves and I will.”

“That a threat?”

“A promise,” Bucky bumps his shoulder against Steve’s as he turns his attention back to Darcy, completely ignoring Nat’s smirking face. He always forgets her hearing’s nearly as sharp as theirs.

He settles against Steve’s side as Darcy takes some kind of backpack from Stark then gives him a hug, his eyes widening in shock before awkwardly returning the gesture. Thor grins at them as Darcy releases Tony then steps forward shaking hands with the shorter man. Darcy adjusts the bag onto her shoulders with a series of buckles as Thor moves back to her.

“We must away!” Darcy beams up at Thor. “I’ve always wanted to say that and mean it.”

“Aye,” Thor replies as he turns to her, “are you ready?”

Darcy looks over at them where they’ve all congregated in a tight little group and grins at them as she squares her shoulders back and raises her hand up to her brow in a salute. Steve rolls his eyes so hard Bucky swears he hears them rattle, but while everyone laughs at her gesture Steve’s the only one that returns it, albeit with a mock seriousness. Barton blows her a kiss, Nat smirks, Stark huffs, and Bucky grins widely snaking his arm around Steve’s waist.

“Get out of here!” he hollers.

He watches as she gives them all her back, wrapping her arms securely around Thor, the man branding one arm about her and adjusting his grip on his hammer with the other. He nods at them with a blinding smile then raises his arm into the air and calls out some weird-ass name. Bucky blinks rapidly and tightens his hold on Steve as a bright light flares all around Darcy and Thor, a crack of thunder ringing out despite the sunny weather, and then there’s nothing but a burnt symbol left in their place.

“That will never not be weird,” Stark says before turning away and heading back toward the door, Barton and Natasha following him.

“You good?” Steve asks once the door shuts behind them and Bucky takes a deep breath and nods.

“Yeah, you?”

“Mhm,” Steve hums, maneuvering them around in the direction of the door. “I trust Thor and Darcy can handle herself. I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

“I know, Stevie,” he lets his hand slide down to grope the blonde’s ass and Steve’s hand pauses mid-air where it’s outstretched to the door. “Now, wasn’t there something I promised to do?”

Steve’s blush is gorgeous and still affects him as much as it did back when he was a head shorter and skinny as a twig.

Stark shouts at them when they run through his workshop laughing like hooligans.

 

\- - -

 

Only when the wind stops roaring in her ears and she feels solid ground beneath her feet does Darcy dare to open her eyes. Traveling by Mjölnir, while exhilarating, is rather nerve wracking. She likes seatbelts and brakes, and you know enclosed spaces to protect her squishy human self, can you blame her? Pulling back from her muscle-y transport enough to glance around as he keeps a steadying hand on her waist, she finally gets a good look at her surroundings. Her eyes widening when they land on the huge, horned figure in the middle of the dome they’ve landed in.  
“Welcome to Asgard,” his deep voice calls out.

“Thanks,” Darcy says a bit breathlessly as she pries her arms from around a grinning Thor.  
“Darcy, this is Heimdall.”

Darcy nods in acknowledgment while her stomach settles from the trip, and takes a moment to adjust her clothes as Thor steps away from her. She follows after him a second later to where he’s doing some handshake thing with the gatekeeper, (her inner Ghost Busters nerd is giggling so hard) but she gets momentarily sidetracked by the view to her left. There are so many stars and colors, and the absolute _vastness_ of space before her takes her breath away. She veers away from Thor and Heimdall to stand a safe distance away from the edge and takes it all in.

“It is beautiful, is it not?”

“It’s gorgeous,” she whispers in awe as Thor steps up to her side and laces his fingers through hers, giving them a light squeeze. Darcy understands Jane better in that moment and she thinks for the first time since she met the tiny astrophysicist that she really _gets_ it. The sheer beauty of all those stars overwhelms her and she finds her vision going blurry with emotion. She’s pretty sure she looks like an idiot crying over _space_ but Thor just lets go of her hand and draws her into his chest with an arm, holding onto her with a smile.

Darcy feels him press a kiss to the crown of her head a minute or so later before releasing her and asking: “Alright?”

“I’m good,” she nods wiping a lone tear off her face.

“Good. Let us go, then.”

He takes her hand once again and tugs her gently away from the ‘window’. Darcy looks up at Heimdall where he stands sentry and finds him smiling warmly down at them. When he meets her gaze he winks at her and Darcy laughs, smiling at him as a happy Thor bids him farewell.

 

-

 

Twenty minutes later Darcy gets her second shock of _omgisthisreallifeoristhisjustfantasy_ when they enter the actual gates. Gold, so much gold and blue skies, and floating things… Seriously, she pinches her arm just to make sure she’s actually not dreaming. Thor keeps shooting proud grins at her perpetual state of amazement and she retaliates every time with an excited flail to his bicep. If it hadn’t hit home before that she’s dating an actual _prince_ it sure as hell does when they step into the palace. Although she only gets a couple seconds to stare at her surroundings, it’s enough to make her hand itch for her camera. They’re quickly bombarded by people, all very excited to have Thor home and overly polite to ‘his friend’. Darcy is one more “We’re so happy your friend could return with you’ away from howling in frustration when she’s saved by an unlikely savior.

“LADY DARCY!” Volstagg bellows and it’s all the warning she gets before arms thick as tree trunks lift her into an oh-so-tight embrace. He squeezes the laughter out of her and she gladly returns his hug, patting a bit awkwardly at his shoulder.

“Volstagg, have you no manners?!”

“Of course I do!” he replies as he gives her another squeeze and sets her back down.

“Then you should know not to be so covetous of Lady Darcy’s affection!” Fandral states and rounds the large warrior to smile slyly at Darcy. He takes her hand and bends at the waist in an overly dramatic gesture then places a kiss to her knuckles. She can’t help but to grin at the idiot.

“And _you_ should know that it is improper to attempt to woo your prince’s beloved.”

Fandral straightens and gives Darcy a rakish wink with a ‘what can you do?’ shrug. Sif’s palm makes a satisfying thwack against the back of his head as she passes him. The dark haired beauty smiles brightly at Darcy and she’s a little surprised when the woman pulls her into a not so surprisingly strong-armed hug in welcome.

“It is so good to see you again, Lady Darcy,” Sif says as she steps back effectively pushing the other two back with her elbows.

“It’s good to see you, too! All of you,” Darcy replies with a grin at their happy faces.

“Aye, I have missed my friends,” Thor says as he strides towards them, finally free of the other random well-wishers. Darcy can’t wipe the grin off her face as he hugs them then moves to her side and slings an arm over her shoulders. She thinks she _should_ be overwhelmed at that moment because she’s millions of miles from her family and in a completely different atmosphere, but all she really is, is grateful.

“You haven’t been away that long, Thor, you exaggerate,” Sif says making them snicker.

Thor shrugs and pulls her tighter into his side. Darcy looks up at him and meets his shining eyes. Her heart dances happily in her chest. “Let’s get you settled in, yes?”

Darcy nods but hesitates to move when he takes his arm from her. Sif eases her worries though as she positions herself next to Darcy and expertly herds the men away with a stern glare. Darcy arches an appreciative brow at her to which Sif simply smirks at her reminding her of Nat just a titch.

“Is this all you brought with you?” Sif points at the straps of the backpack that Darcy can’t stop fiddling with.

“Yeah… Thor said I would be ‘properly outfitted’ so I didn’t think I needed much more than something to sleep in and the necessities?”

Sif nods before answering Darcy’s uncertainty. “He was correct. Before the feast tonight you’ll be fitted and well tended to.”

“Fitted? Wait, _feast_?”

“Yes, we thought it best for you to blend in and be comfortable here. Thor wants nothing but the best for you and so it shall be given,” she says as if it’s a well known fact then grins. “And of course! We must eat, yes? Our prince has returned safely and you are an honored guest so we feast.”

“Riiiight… any reason to eat,” Darcy resists the urge to roll her eyes but gives the three animated men in front of them a fond smile.

“You have it!” Sif says and laughs, nudging her arm lightly with her elbow.

“Okay, so how am I going to be fitted by tonight? Won’t that take a couple days?”

“No, we have the best dressmakers and it shouldn’t take long at all. Do not worry so, Lady Darcy. I will be staying with you today and I have been in your shoes. I promise it will be dull and over in a wink.”

Darcy nods, relived that Sif will be tagging along at least for the day. When they reach the middle of the long corridor that has Darcy’s eyes wide at the huge columns and all the _gold_ Thor calls her name drawing her attention. He tells her he’ll see her later with a big smile then falls back in line with Volstagg and Fandral leaving her to follow Sif through hallway after hallway. Sif laughs when she tells her she’ll get lost just going to the bathroom and leads her into a massive chamber that looks to be a bedroom. And she’d thought Tony’s bedroom had been huge…

There are vibrant tapestries hung on the walls, thick carpets laid at random, big gorgeous looking chairs that flank a huge fireplace, and the bed. Jesus. Its size is ridiculous and Darcy has the urge to dive face-first into it. But she doesn’t get the chance as women begin to stream into the room, their names announced by Sif, and she’s so never going to remember all of them. She’s shown a wardrobe to stow her backpack in then told to undress.

And so it begins.

There are seven women, not including her and Sif, fluttering around the room and Darcy is dumbfounded. Two of them take her measurements then wrap her in some silk feeling robe and push her in the direction of a brunette that reminds her of her mother; sturdy and bright eyed, with sure hands. She beckons Darcy to sit on a low stool between her legs and asks her if there’s any preference she has for her hair. Darcy shakes her head and gives the woman free reign. To her left Sif gives her opinion to the woman that seems to be over the material and what colors work best. Occasionally she’ll make Darcy hold her arm out and compare, asking if she likes it. Mora, as she’d learned the matronly woman doing her hair is called, throws her two cents in and Darcy closes her eyes letting their chatter flow around her. It makes her miss home terribly.

“There you are, I think that will do,” Mora says with a pat to her shoulder some time later. Darcy pushes to her feet and Sif looks up from where she’s sitting and gives her an approving smile.

“Excellent, Lady Mora, thank you for your assistance,” Sif says as she springs to her feet and steers Darcy towards a full length mirror that looks like something she’d find in her grandma’s house. A pretty blonde girl hands her a small mirror and Darcy sees her hair for the first time. She stares at her reflection, twisting and turning to see it from all angles and she’s amazed.

“Can you write down the instructions for this? I’m in love,” Darcy says making everyone laugh.

It’s simple but utterly complicated looking with two braids on the sides, volume on the top like when she puts it in a poof, two more complicated looking braids that stream from the mid-ponytail, her natural curls fluffy as all hell, and a slash of bright red wrapped around the ponytail that suspiciously matches the color of Thor’s cape. Darcy’s cheeks are pink with happiness when she hugs Mora in thanks.

“Would you care for a drink, my lady?” another girl asks and Darcy takes it as Sif responds with a ‘Gods, yes!” impressively downing hers.

Darcy sips hers after thanking the slender, dark haired girl. Sif sees Mora out and Darcy wanders towards the balcony she’d been wanting to investigate since she’d walked in. She leans against a column and sips the sweet drink, content to bask in the cool breeze that’s blowing in. She’s joined by the girl that gave them drinks and offers her a friendly smile because she doesn’t remember her name.

“Is where you’re from as beautiful as here?”

“In some places it is, I guess… I don’t get out much,” Darcy shrugs.

“Oh? Is this the first time you’ve journeyed from home?”

“You could say that, yeah.”

 “I do hope Asgard is pleasing in that case,” she says giving Darcy a small smile.

“Calliope, will you go and fetch us a snack, please?” Darcy turns as Sif nears, the girl (Calliope, apparently) nodding agreement and sending Darcy another smile before walking away.

“She is such a strange girl,” Sif comments quietly once Calliope is gone. “She came to us a few months ago, no more than a sack of belongings on her, and claims that her father had disowned her. Of course Thor offered her a meal and a place among the help, as he is not one to turn anyone away. She has a mesmerizing voice when she sings and is quite good at her tasks, but she’s just very… _strange._ ”

“Some people are just weird,” Darcy states and swallows down the rest of her drink. “If they weren’t it’d get too boring. I wouldn’t be me if I wasn’t strange!”

Sif laughs and plucks her cup from her hand then motions for her to follow her. A few minutes later Calliope returns with some kind of soup and bread that she and Sif split sitting in the floor by the vacant fireplace. She isn’t sure how much time passes but everything blurs after that. Once they’re done they make her try things on and snip, and tuck, and by the time Sif excuses herself to go and get ready Darcy is worn out. She flops ungracefully into one of the chairs as the silence of the room soaks into her tired head.

“Should you need anything else, my lady?”

Darcy’s eyes fly open at Calliope’s voice and she slaps a palm to her chest. “N-no, I’m good!”

“I did not mean to startle you!” Calliope says and Darcy waves her apology off.

“You’re fine, promise,” she smiles. “I’m just tired.”

“I understand. I shall leave you to rest before the feast, then,” she actually curtsies and turns to go.

“Hey, Calliope?”

“Yes, my lady?”

“Darcy, please just call me Darcy. Anyway, can you point me to the bathroom before you go?”

“Of course, m – Darcy,” she smirks as Darcy shoots her a look.

Standing, she follows Calliope to a door on the other side of the wardrobe she didn’t notice and thanks her when she enters a massive washroom. She takes care of her business and checks out her hair again before going back into the bedroom. She’s finally alone and she breathes a sigh of relief. She’s used to crowds and people in her space, but she isn’t that used to them all focusing their collective attention _on her_.

Grabbing her backpack out of the wardrobe she finally has the satisfaction of plopping down across the bed. It’s as comfortable as she imagined. Tony would be jealous. Moving to sit with crossed legs, Darcy tugs her backpack to her and gets a good look at it. Stark had made it for her out of some kind of ‘indestructible’ material but she’s pretty sure it’s just the stuff he made Bruce’s last pair of pants out of. It would be boring but he’s decorated the damn thing. One strap is gold and the other maroon, there’s a red hourglass, mini versions of Cap’s shield, Iron Man’s faceplate, and Mjölnir, a purple arrow, a freaking snowflake, a green fist, a tiny pair of bird-like wings, and a telescope that all form a circle in the center of the back. Darcy can’t help the laugh that escapes her at the sight. Leave it to Tony to send her away with the cheesiest backpack ever. She unzips the pocket that’s in the middle of the design and feels around, pulling out the single sheet of paper that’s tucked inside.

_‘Admit it, you like it! I’ll eat my suit if you somehow find a way to destroy this thing, but I know you better, Lewis! Ask Odin if I can come poke around next time, ‘k? –T’_

_‘He’s an idiot but he means well. Stop worrying and have fun, spend time with Thor and relax. Oh, and bring me back one of Sif’s swords. ;) xo’_

_‘We miss you already, doll! Stay safe and we’ll do the same. – Steve & Bucky’ _

_‘DARCY, COME HOME NAT SAYS I CAN’T HIDE IN YOUR APARTMENT WITHOUT YOU IN IT. :( - YOUR FAVORITE!’_

_‘Save me from these idiots and please come home quickly. Banner says hello, too, he’d write but he’s covered in… something, I think it’s goo… Please hurry back. Have fun, girl. =) – Sam’_

_‘Darce, I know it all can be overwhelming at first but you’ll live! Suck it up and if Odin is a dick please give him a piece of your mind (and record it!). I know you’ll be amazing and I hope you have a good time. Say hi to Sif and the others for me, and have FUN! Love you, dork.’_

Darcy sniffles at the thoughtfulness of her idiots as she carefully folds the paper back up and puts it back in its place. She misses them and it’s only been half a day. Tucking her homesickness away for the moment she digs her makeup bag out of the backpack and sets about freshening her face up. She’s just swiped on some mascara when there’s a tap at her door and Calliope enters with two other women behind her, their arms loaded to bear with garments. She stows her stuff away before they fall on her once again.

 

-

 

Sif meets her and Calliope in the main hall, her smile smug as she gives Darcy’s appearance a sweep. Darcy feels like she’s in a movie or a dream, or one of those historical romances she used to steal from her mom’s bookshelf. She swallows the lump of anxiety that threatens to choke her, the fact that she’s about to meet Odin sitting heavy in her gut, but she follows Sif’s lead and squares her shoulders. The ballet flats she’d brought with her do nothing to help her confidence because she swears every Asgardian in the room is six foot.

It’s the sight of Thor’s face when he sees her that makes all of her insecurities vanish.

Darcy blushes as she and Sif approach where he stands among a gaggle of people and he literally stops in his tracks when he spots her. The dress they’d put her in is black and flowing with a peach colored sheath underneath. There’s lace detailing along her torso and hips, and more of the black, airy fabric drapes off her shoulders and pools on her lower back leaving the tail of her ponytail to tumble down her pale exposed spine. She thinks it’s a good thing she’d packed her ‘fancy occasion’ bra!

Thor excuses himself from the group once she and Sif stop a few feet away and makes his way to her. Sif nudges her gently forward and melts into the crowd. Darcy’s nervous fingers toy with the silver star that dangles from the bracelet on her right wrist that Jane gave her for her last birthday.

“ _Darcy_ …” he says, voice hushed despite the noise around them. He captures her hands between his own and her blush deepens at the way his eyes _twinkle_. “You look breathtaking, my beloved.”

“Thanks,” she smiles up at him as some of her anxiety evaporates in the heat of his gaze. “I think Sif is a miracle worker.”

“Aye, I will have to thank her as well. Asgard suits you.”

“Kinda reminds me of your first round in those skinny jeans.”

His laugh widens her smile into a full out grin and he lifts her hands up to his lips setting goose bumps to attention up her arms. He thoughtfully inspects the gold cuff that adorns her left arm as he lowers them and Darcy opens her mouth to explain that Sif had insisted she wear it but they’re interrupted.

“And who is this?”

Darcy’s eyes go comically wide as Thor freezes for a fraction of a second before transforming into every inch of _prince_ in front of her.

“Father, this is Lady Darcy, my beloved,” he states as he turns to face the man that had snuck up on them.

“Ah… you traded one mortal for another, I see,” Odin says and Darcy feels her spine fill with steel.

“He didn’t trade anyone in. We _mortals_ aren’t interchangeable.”

She meets his eye willing herself not to flinch at the sheer amount of authority that radiates from the man. _Huh, not what I imagined_ , she thinks. He’s just a shorter version of Fury and that man can be brought down by homemade cupcakes and a hug from Nat. She’s not so worried suddenly. Thor’s fingers squeeze those of her right hand where they’re still weaved together and she watches Odin’s gaze flick from her to his son.

“Are you related to his last?”

“She’s my best friend, actually.”

“My son, must you always choose the difficult path?”

“I –”

Darcy doesn’t give him a chance to finish as she takes a step forward much to Odin’s amusement. “While I respect that you are his dad, I don’t think he has to answer that. And for the record, I chose him, too.”

Odin arches a brow and stares at her for a few beats then he nods as if he’s made some decision and she sees what promises to be a smile tug at his mouth. “She has fire. Very well, welcome to my home. Shall we feast now? I starve!” He claps his hands together and turns leaving them to follow.

Darcy deflates with relief and Thor chuckles behind her, an arm snaking around her waist. “You are magnificent.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” she smirks and lets him steer her to her place at the table.

The first night in Asgard is filled with loud laughter and even louder storytelling fueled by a seemingly endless amount of mead and food. Darcy finds herself fitting into the fold seamlessly, trading stories of home with the Warriors Three and Thor, and getting tipsy. She’s pretty sure she wins Odin over when he hears of how she first met his golden son. By the end of the night she’s pleasantly drunk and calls it a day with Thor begging them away, and sweeping her into his arms once in the great hall. Calliope helps her undress while Thor disappears into the bathroom, then he tricks her into drinking some water before they both collapse into bed. She isn’t sure how long they stay awake after, whispering and laughing into the night air around them, but her body is heavy and warm when she finally falls asleep. Her last coherent thought is wondering if she remembered to feed Apollymi.

 

  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay? I'm happy with it and I hope you are, too! Okay, who likes visuals? I do, and here's a list of them for your pleasure.  
> 1\. The Alice in Wonderland themed [clock](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/97/a2/b2/97a2b2fc8d02901a121ea9318f80e68b.jpg) 'cause we all know my addiction to Disney acid trips.  
> 2\. Darcy's Hawkeye [nails](https://cdn-img-3.wanelo.com/p/303/c41/082/780c6a5a052d4b65a862d52/full_size.jpg).  
> 3\. Her Asgardianrific [hairdo](http://www.samvilla.com/pro/blog/how-to-create-a-voluminous-viking-braid-ponytail-by-guest-blogger-heather-champan#.VZTLUYFdWSp). And I'd like to note Darcy's has the braids on both sides and I really miss my long braidable hair. -sobs-  
> And lastly, 4. her [dress](http://40.media.tumblr.com/c0bb6d53315ec9125ff3c302e075f924/tumblr_ni0o98siP51tevwebo1_500.jpg) that I found on the awesome [asgardsswardrobe](http://asgardsswardrobe.tumblr.com) tumblr.   
> Until next time, my sweets! =)


	3. Sunshine and stardust.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherein there's water, there's ale, and of course dancing...

 

 

“Come now, _jump_!”

“Yes, Lady Darcy, it’s quite exhilarating!”

“Aye,” Volstagg proclaims from where he floats leisurely on his back, his pale and robust belly glinting in the sun. “It will only last the swing of a battle-axe!”

Darcy fully expects him to spit water into the air like a fat little cherub fountain next. Her bare toes scrunch down into the dirt as she squints into the sky ignoring the calls of Thor and his friends momentarily. Thirty feet down they splash and look tiny from where she stands. It isn’t that she’s afraid of the drop, it’s the _water_. Call her a coward but Jaws had traumatized her as a kid. Not that there are actually sharks in _Asgard_ (probably something worse truth be told) and she’s pretty sure Thor could take them if there were.

Thor wrestling a shark; now there’s a mental image.

“Count to three,” a voice coaxes in her ear as a slender yet strong hand slips into hers.

Darcy sucks in a breath and nods, the encouragement from below growing in volume.

“One…two… THREE!”

The three is shouted into the blue sky as she flies over the edge of the cliff, her death-grip on Sif’s hand her only anchor. The woman’s laughter is wild as the wind rushing around them and Darcy’s fear instantly evaporates. At a squeeze around her fingers she holds her breath just before they hit the water, cutting through it like a warm knife through butter. Kicking to the surface, Darcy gasps air into her lungs with an exhilarating laugh.

“See that wasn’t so bad, was it?”

Darcy shakes her head and raises a hand up to squeegee the water from her face, Sif’s face coming into focus. “Nah, piece of cake,” she squeaks as steel bands snake around her waist, tugging her back against a bare chest.

“Lady Sif can trick any into taking the leap,” Thor states with a hint of pride in his voice that makes Darcy smile. Sif makes a face at him before she sinks back into the water and disappears. Turning around to face him Darcy links her arms loosely around his neck.

“I bet she didn’t have to coax you off the cliff, did she?”

“Nay…. It was my brother she bewitched.”

Darcy raises a curious eyebrow at his hesitant words. They usually steer clear of anything that deals with Loki and this is the first time Thor’s voluntarily offered any information. Her heart skips a beat, her secret questing for a quick escape.

“Loki, he always ‘fancied’ her, even after she hated him for cutting her hair. Our adolescent years were fraught with the noise of their bickering. But one season when the rivers were rushing and we escaped our lessons, Lady Sif decided she was going to punish him mightily.” Darcy snickers at his brow waggling.

“Punish him, she did!” Fandral yells before he mysteriously yelps, sinking as if someone pulled him under. Volstagg’s laughter is delighted.

He’s dragged down, too mere seconds later and Darcy turns her attention back to a grinning Thor as if nothing happened.

“So you see, Lady Sif buried her vexation for that entire day and there was none more polite. We all thought she’d gone mad and no amount of provoking could shift her from her course. My brother was quite addled but thoroughly smitten. As the day grew hotter we came here for refreshment but Loki would not jump. He never had and none of us had ever questioned it, until that day. I, Volstagg, Fandral, and Hogun were lazing here when it happened; the quiet was pierced by a fierce battle-cry and suddenly we look heavenward to see Loki, limbs flailing, and Lady Sif perched on his back. She looked like a wild Valkyrie entering battle,” he flings his arms up in an imitation and Darcy squeaks, tightening her hold, the laughter from a few feet away sounding closer than a minute before. “They hit the water as a two-headed beast and we waited until they surfaced to join the revelry. Loki was a drowned feline and just as angry as one.”

“That was one of my finest accomplishments,” Sif adds as she treads water just behind Thor’s left shoulder.

“Did he ever forgive you?”

“Forgive me? He had it coming!”

Thor laughs and Darcy eases out of his arms while he’s distracted. Sif’s grin is wicked at best and she waits until Darcy’s out of the way to dunk Thor like she had the others. Darcy laughs for a good ten minutes after at his betrayed face until he gets a glint in his eye that reminds her a little too much of Steve when he’s planning something dangerous and clever. His attack is expected at least and it leads to them making teams and Darcy teaching them how to play ‘Chicken’. For the record, Fandral sitting on Volstagg’s shoulders is _hilarious_.

Oh, and she wins. Twice.

 

-

 

“Are you sure?”

“Dude, I’m just gonna collapse into a pathetic heap and nap. Go, talk politics of the stars or whatever it is you do,” Darcy pushes at Thor’s chest uselessly.

He gazes down at her with that little smile he does when he thinks she’s not looking and Darcy growls a kitten growl then pushes up onto tiptoe and kisses it. Fingers circle her wrist anchoring her palm to his chest as an arm snakes around her waist and effortlessly lifts her feet off the floor. Going with it, she cants her head for a better angle, warmth building in her stomach at his appreciative rumble. For a minute, just a moment, Darcy forgets she’s not in her apartment with no one but Jarvis there to hear her moan.

But alas, all good things…

“Oh! My apologies!”

Their eyes open at the same time and Darcy’s vision crosses at the proximity. A quite chuckle tumbles pleasantly through Thor’s chest as he pulls back. Not one to be deterred, he presses a soft parting token to her lips before lowering her back to the ground. Darcy clears her throat and adjusts her pretty pale green dress before stepping back.

“I will return,” Thor promises and lets her go before turning. “Good evening, Calliope.”

The girl curtsies with flushed cheeks and moves to stand by Darcy as they both watch Thor stride down the corridor. Right, probably shouldn’t make out with Asgard’s prince in plain sight. Whoopsie. Shrugging to herself Darcy nudges Calliope with her elbow careful not to disturb the tray she holds.

“Sorry ‘bout that…”

“I saw nothing.”

“Have I mentioned that you’re my favorite?”

“Once or twice,” Calliope replies cheerfully as Darcy pushes into what she now knows to be Thor’s chambers.

Yep, she’s shacked up with him and come to find out it’s been quite the scandal.

Darcy’s been in Asgard for two weeks. Two weeks of feasts, of learning all about Asgardian customs, of being away from her family. Sure, she has Thor along with Sif and her merry men in tights, and she’s even grown kind of attached to all the strangeness that is Calliope. But Darcy misses _home_. She misses the stench of metal and coffee that follows Stark and his tank-tops and greasy hair everywhere. She misses the sight of sweaty super soldiers early in the morning. She misses the Nerf arrows that she finds suction cupped to her TV with notes in Barton’s neat all-caps print attached to them like tiny flags. Darcy _misses_ the internet and her phone. Oh God, does she miss Jarvis.

Here her only source of gossip is the girl that’s currently pouring her a drink.

And the gossip is _her_. Jane had not been taken to too kindly, you know, due to the whole Malekith and the dark elf invasion. And let’s not forget Frigga and Loki’s resulting deaths. So in that respect everyone was weary of Darcy. Most simply ignored her and if approached they referred to her as Thor’s ‘young friend’. The more brash ones (read: the elders and women with hopes of catching Thor’s eye), they simply glared at her and whispered behind their hands whenever she was in their presence. Darcy isn’t an idiot and she’d been given her curvy body at an early age, she _knows_ what they think of her.

“Stop thinking whatever it is putting that crease between your brows and have a sip,” Calliope presses a copper mug into her hands.

Darcy gives the girl a small grateful smile and takes a sip. With a happy hum, she savors the sweet ale that almost reminds her of the butter beer her and her cousin had drank when they’d been crazy about Harry Potter. The memory just reminds her of how far away she is from absolutely _everything_ and she sighs taking a bigger gulp to wash the nostalgia away. Following Calliope, Darcy settles onto the rug in front of the fireplace with her back to one of the chairs as the other girl coaxes a fire to life. When she’s satisfied she gives Darcy a smile then disappears for a minute. Returning, Calliope sits the tray she’d been carrying onto the footstool and arranges it between them before folding her slender frame down next to Darcy.

It’s quiet, peaceful with nothing but the crackling flames dancing in the hearth as they sit in companionable silence. Darcy lets the warmth of the drink and fire wrap her up in a cocoon, her sun-kissed feet peeking out from under the folds of her dress. She’s nearly asleep when Calliope speaks.

“Where I’m from,” she begins, her voice melodic, “I was a bit of an outsider, too.”

Darcy glances at her with arched brows.

“I... I’m sorry if I over –”

“No,” Darcy waves a hand in the air, “you’re right. It’s kinda obvious I don’t belong here, huh?”

Calliope grimaces but Darcy takes another swig and angles towards her so she’ll go on.

“I simply mean to say that I have been in your shoes. Well, not quite the same situation, but something similar,” she takes a drink from her own cup. “My sister was my father’s favorite and I was the ‘runt’ of the litter I suppose you could say. People ignored me and when they did notice me I was merely my sister’s shadow.”

“So why did you leave?” Darcy asks, leaning forward to refill her cup from the half full pitcher. “What happened that made you leave it all behind?”

“I couldn’t stay quiet any longer! My sister was betrothed but she found herself enamored with another. It was a scandal and should have given her a bad name but our father chose not to see it that way. He merely slapped her wrist and ignored her for a few days.”

“That doesn’t sound very fair, but… it doesn’t explain why you’re here,” Darcy eyes the girl over her mug as she sips thoughtfully.

“I’m getting to it!” Calliope laughs and it’s tinged with bitterness. She sits her cup down and leans in like she’s confiding a secret. “You see, I myself was rather fond of the one she was promised to… I couldn’t stand by and watch that innocent heart be splintered by my sister’s hands. So, it was I that set my sister up to be caught. It went about as expected but when the dust settled she turned on me, and my actions were twisted until they resembled nothing of my intentions. Father having no use for a failure cast me aside and I wound up here. I was lucky enough to acquire room and board…” she trails off dejectedly.

Darcy scoots over enough to cover Calliope’s hand with her own, giving her fingers a reassuring squeeze.

“I’m sorry that happened to you. You’re really all kinds of awesome and they clearly don’t know what they’re missing.”

The girl’s chin dips down to her chest and Darcy gives her a moment to herself as she sniffs. She turns her gaze back onto the flames that have gone lazy and Darcy feels a heaviness tug at her limbs. Asgardian ale is awesome.

“Thank you, Lady Darcy,” Calliope whispers and Darcy pats her hand.

She isn’t sure how long they sit there, drinking and talking. At one point someone delivers a tray of food and they eat it atop the footstool while Darcy blabbers on about her home. The sky outside the balcony goes from the clear blue-gray of Bucky’s eyes when he laughs at something stupid Steve’s said to the twinkling, glittery black of Pepper’s dress that she wore to last year’s New Year’s Eve party. Darcy drinks until she’s at least 96% sure she can fly then proceeds to dance around the room singing songs that she’ll never admit to Tony that she likes. Calliope joins her for a few turns around her makeshift dance floor, laughing all the while at Darcy’s drunken tunes.

It isn’t until she trips on the tail of her dress that the girl talks her into changing into her nightclothes. Darcy snatches a pillow off the bed and promptly collapses back onto the rug in front of the fireplace. Calliope stokes the fire and settles back into her original spot. Yawning with every few breaths Darcy asks her random questions that her sober mind wouldn’t approve of.

“Can I go home?”

She falls asleep waiting for the response.

 

\- - -

 

Soft snores and the popping of the fire cover the sound of a sigh once Darcy is asleep. Unfolding gracefully and silently from the floor, Calliope smoothes an elegant hand over black hair as servant garb fades into Midgardian slacks and a matching black button down. On bare feet Loki observes the sleeping woman before him. It would appear that his self appointed mission isn’t going as well as he had hoped. Yes, his stubborn brother is utterly infatuated with this hurricane of a human, as she is with him. But the problem does not lie there. The issue is that Darcy isn’t playing along. So she isn’t of noble blood and she couldn’t fit in more here if she tried. No, that isn’t right, she _could_ but she is choosing to make his ‘afterlife’ difficult. Well, that’s his opinion anyway. He is still confused as to why she misses those annoying humans she calls friends.

He clearly still has his work cut out for him so it would seem.

Stooping, he scoops her up and shushes her when she mumbles. Carrying her to the bed he lays her down, covers her up to ward off the chill from the open balcony doors, and then plucks her glasses from her face carefully. He’s placing them on the nightstand when she mumbles again and he feels a careless hand tug at the leg of his trousers. Arching an eyebrow he debates simply leaving her but something in the general vicinity of his charred heart stirs. It’s with a sigh he settles down onto the bed beside her, his back against the headboard and legs stretched out atop the covers. Darcy curls into his side with her arm thrown over his waist. His hand hovers over her head before her curses her, his stupid brother and everything but; his hand rests lightly atop her crown.

Her hair is curlier than Sif’s, and there’s a thought… He regrets to even think that he misses her company but he does.

There is a slight chance that he understands why Darcy has those friends.

He closes his eyes for a moment to reminisce in his all but solitary state when he hears footsteps. Darcy shifts and he absently strokes her brow as he listens to the cadence of the tread. Ah, it would appear that Thor finally deigned it worthy of his time to loan some of it to his ‘beloved’.

Whispering ‘ _Goodnight, pet_ ,’ Loki vanishes into thin air leaving Darcy to curve around empty space with a furrowed brow just as the bedroom door quietly swings open. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a few things:   
> 1.) I am beyond sorry it took me so long to update this.   
> 2.) I apologize that it's so frickin' short! I just really wanted to get /something/ out. I despise when stories are abandoned and promise that none of mine will be! 
> 
> And lastly TMI moment with complete strangers #3.) So three years ago one of my aunts passed away from breast cancer. Then about a month ago another one of my aunts (I come from a massive family with lots of aunts, uncles, and literally countless cousins) found out that not only does she too have breast cancer, but she also has throat cancer. Due to the news I've been in the wrong headspace to even consider writing. So, now you know why I've been MIA. But! Everything's being treated including my inherent fear that my mom or I am next, and that being said I'm working on getting back into writing.  
> Thanks to the loverly loyal ones who haven't given up on my stories just yet!!


	4. I've got soul but I'm not a soldier. (Or a queen.)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cards are dealt and Darcy & Co. get a glimpse of their hands.

 

 

Three days later Darcy is strolling through the streets of Asgard with Sif and Calliope as guides when it happens. The sun is warm and there’s a soft breeze ruffling the skirts of her pale pink dress. Her hair is loose yet decorated with plaits to keep it away from her face and she cannot for the life of her stop smiling.

“Asgard suits you, Lady Darcy,” Calliope comments by her ear making Darcy’s smile bloom into a grin. She looks up from the bracelet she’d been admiring, her eyes twinkling.

“Thor said that to me my first night here. I think it’s just the fresh air and awesome threads you’ve been sticking me in, though.”

“Nonsense,” Sif says as she approaches them, a basket full of some kind of fruit hooked on her arm. “You are meant to be here, Darcy, the stars do not lie.”

Darcy blushes and turns back to the table, giving the vendor a small smile and a nod before stepping from the table.

“Here taste this,” Sif produces a knife from the satchel that hangs across her torso and cuts one of the small red fruits in half and hands it to her.

“What is it?” Darcy eyes it and brings it up giving it a sniff.

“I believe it is a cousin to the pomegranate on Midgard,” she pops her half into her mouth with a smile before halving another and offering it to Calliope.

Shrugging, Darcy sticks it in her mouth and bites down. “Oh, Gods,” she moans as the flavor bursts on her tongue. Sif grins as Darcy chews. “It’s like a grapefruit and a pomegranate got it on and had a baby!”

Calliope laughs quietly and swallows her own bite. Darcy asks Sif for another and she hands her the basket. Linking her arm through Calliope’s they set off, merging back into the crowd that streams through the street. Darcy munches on the fruit as they make idle conversation and browse the stalls, feeling lighter than she has since she arrived.

Sif tries to steer them over to a stall filled with shiny swords and deadly looking weapons but Darcy gives her a look and promises not to stray too far. Tugging Calliope along, they continue down the narrowing road until something grabs Darcy’s attention. She wanders over to the display of sparkling necklaces and shimmering fabrics and sets her sights on a pendant that dangles from a long silver chain. It’s a deep crimson and as she holds it up to the sky, the sun pierces it making orange and yellow peek through. Turning to the other girl, she holds it up to her chest and opens her mouth to ask her how it looks when there’s a shout.

Three kids come barreling down the street, shoving and pushing their way through the people. They look to be in their early teens, two boys and a girl, Darcy watches with wide eyes as they near. The two guards that are in pursuit of them are close behind, but not close enough. As the oldest boy nears them, he meets Darcy’s gaze and aims right for her. It happens so fast Darcy doesn’t know what’s going on, but he runs smack into her making her drop the necklace and Sif’s basket of fruit. Calliope catches her in an attempt to steady her. Pain blooms in her stomach and Darcy hears Sif yell somewhere close by. Her hands grasp her middle as the boy is grabbed from behind and yanked away from her. Darcy glances down and her hands are red when she pulls them away. Blood stains the pale pink of her dress a brilliant red and all she can think is ‘ _uh oh_ ’.

“ _DARCY!_ ” Sif cries when her knees give out.

Beneath her the fruit breaks open further tainting the fabric of her dress when she crumples to the ground. The dagger the boy used to stab her with lies next to her thigh and she watches the sun glint off of it before Calliope’s face obscures her vision. Darcy manages to mumble a sadly comical ‘ _ouch_ ’ but the girl only scowls instead of laughing at her morbid humor. A frantic Sif finally breaks through the gathered crowd and kneels by Darcy’s hip.

“We need to get you to the healers. Do not worry, this will not go unpunished,” her voice is hard but Darcy catches the edge of fear that laces her words.

Darcy only nods, but Sif misses it as she turns to shout orders to the guards. She looks back to the silent girl by her shoulder and meets a startlingly, rich green gaze. The blood loss makes her brain work sluggishly but her brows rise when she finally remembers where she’s seen those eyes before.

“Lora…Lo—”

“Ah, ah,” the girl leans over her as if to brush hair from her brow, shielding her body from the crowd and places a finger against her lips, her voice resigned as she whispers just for Darcy’s ears. “This complicates things but I suppose this charade has lasted long enough. Are you ready for Act three, pet?”

Darcy’s brows beetle and she coughs, heart hammering loud in her ears as she tastes the coppery, metallic tang of blood in her mouth. She watches in fuzzy fascination as Calliope, or Lora the girl from the nightclub, shimmers and shifts into Loki in all of his deep emerald and black robed glory right before her eyes. His arms are surprisingly strong as he slides one under her knees and the other behind her shoulders, effortlessly lifting her into them as he stands. He straightens to his full height and Darcy has enough sense to listen as the spectators go silent. She curls into his chest with what little strength she has left as he turns to the awed people. Sif stares in frozen shock where she stands.

“ _Loki_?” the warrior whispers.

“There is no time for questions, my dear. I’ll take her back to the palace,” his voice is smooth under Darcy’s ear and his mouth pressing to the crown of her head is the last thing she registers before it all goes dark.

 

-

 

Darcy wakes slowly, like she’s been asleep for hours after a bout of jetlag and a bottle of Stark’s stolen liquor. Her lashes flutter open and the first thing she sees is a mist of red hovering above her. It takes her mind a minute to catch up before she remembers where she is. Turning her head to the right she notices the door to the room she’s in is cracked and there are low voices slipping in. Not able to make out any of what’s being said, she closes her eyes and takes stock of her body. She remembers being stabbed and the pain had been enough to make her think she was going to bleed out on a road in Asgard and Thor would be left to face their friends with the news. And then she remembers Loki… _What the actual fuck?!_ her brain supplies as a throat clears. Her eyes fly open and finds Thor standing almost hesitantly just inside the door.

“You are awake,” he says softly making her frown because where’s her sunspot of a boyfriend? Shouldn’t he be overcome with joy that his brother’s alive? Speaking of, Loki steps into the room, too and shuts the door behind him.

“Yeah…” Darcy croaks and makes to sit up but Thor’s at her side before she can budge.

“It’s best if you stay still for a while yet,” he presses his lips to her temple and helps her settle back down.

“So, what’s the damage? Am I bleeding internally or something?”

Thor turns a narrowed gaze to his brother and Darcy notes that Loki actually looks a little sheepish. It makes her stomach churn for some reason. She watches them as they have a silent conversation before Thor crosses his arms over his chest and looks back to her, his expression carefully schooled.

“No, you are not injured.”

“Bullshit,” she blurts and ignores his earlier warning and pushes up into a sitting position. Other than some small sharp pains and a mild burning in her stomach, she doesn’t feel like she’d been brutally stabbed. Huh.

“I shit you not,” Thor says with a small smile, using the phrase she taught him.

Uncaring of the company, Darcy yanks her shirt up and peers down at her belly. There is an angry scar that looks to be weeks old but otherwise her skin is unmarred. A frown tugs at her mouth as she pulls her shirt back down and glances up, looking between the two men.

“That’s… Wait, how long have I been out?”

“Two days,” Loki offers nonchalantly making Darcy’s eyes bug out of her head.

“Two days—but there was so much blood and it was deep… how is that… what…”

Her gaze pings back and forth from Thor to Loki, confused.

“You are alive,” Thor comments with a tired sigh. “Can we not focus on that for the moment?”

“NO!” Darcy shouts making both men wince. “I’ve been stabbed before, Thor, and I know how long it takes someone to bleed out. I should be dead and I’m clearly not. Something is going on and I want to know what it is right _now_!”

“Brother… tell her,” Thor relents with a firm order and Darcy focuses her attention on the man who should _also_ be dead.

Loki rolls his eyes and surprises her by actually doing as he’s told. With a wave of his hand two chairs appear next to her sickbed and he settles into one and waits for Thor to huff and lower into the other before he begins. Out of habit, Darcy reaches out for Thor and he scoots closer, taking her hand into his and threading their fingers together.

“Do you remember the drink that I gave you in that God-awful club?” Darcy nods and narrows her eyes as her brain decides to begin adding things up that she doesn’t quite like. “And the mead you drank the other night?” he asks quieter and Darcy’s eyes widen realizing that he’d been the one she’d been pouring her heart out to this entire time. A smile flirts with Loki’s mouth when he sees recognition flash across her face. Thor’s grip tightens around her hand.

“Ah, yes… perhaps a servant wasn’t the best disguise but it did work beautifully. And I’ve always loved that Greek tale of Calliope, so choosing a name to go with my story was not difficult.”

“ _Enough!_ ” Thor belts making Darcy jolt from her thoughts.

“You have always been too impatient,” Loki states with a glance at the annoyed prince. “As I was saying, those drinks were laced with a little something that I mixed up.”

He says it as if he’s trading cocktail recipes but the words make Darcy’s heart stutter.

“What did you do to me?”

“You mean what have I done _for_ you,” Loki corrects. “You see, I had an inkling that my brother’s beloved people would not take too kindly to yet another mortal traipsing about their precious soil with _their_ prince.”

Darcy swallows thickly because he’s right and they both know it, but Thor doesn’t.

“Yes, we both know they reacted, shall we say, poorly to you.”

“What are you on about? Everyone has welcomed Lady Darcy here!”

Darcy pats Thor’s arm reassuringly and gives him a sad smile. It takes him only a second to read her face and know that he’s mistaken. She looks back at Loki and notes his gaze is angry as if on his brother’s behalf.

“But I had already taken precautions with those drinks and this incident only proves me right.”

“Okay, so I have what, super-healing like Steve and Bucky or something?”

“I do not think even your soldiers have what you possess now.”

“ _Brother_ ,” Thor says through gritted teeth.

“Oh, _fine_ ,” Loki whines. “As you know, while we are not exactly immortal, it does take something catastrophic to kill us.” Darcy nods, her stomach swooping violently at where this is going. “When I realized that Thor fancied you, I had a mind to put an end to it, but you intrigue me, Darcy. You have a fire in you that reminds me of myself. So I took it upon myself to alter you, to make you a bit more durable if you will.” Loki produces a small vile from his breast pocket that’s filled with a neon green substance that seems to writhe about inside the glass.

“I have learned a thing or two about death since the dark elves attacked and Malekith murdered our mother…” he clears his throat before continuing and Darcy doesn’t even think twice and reaches out with her free hand and grasps his. His brows rise in minute alarm but he quickly masks it and continues. His hand remains in hers, though. “I used a mixture of old magic and ‘science’ as your Midgardians call it and was able to take the very essence of my longevity to create this. It’s simple, really.”

“You still didn’t answer my question.”

“You are not dead are you?”

“Obviously,” Darcy snarks in response. Loki stays silent offering her no more than an arched brow. Thor, too, stays quiet watching them closely. It takes a very short minute of Darcy staring at the vile for the sum of those things that had been adding up to pop into her head. Her eyes go wide and she swears she hears Cousin Eddie off of Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation say ‘ _Bingo!_ ’

“I… I’m _immortal_?!” she squeaks.

“Not entirely.”

She stares at Loki then pulls her hands out of their grasps to tug her shirt up once again. The scar looks older, even less angry than it had when she first looked. She pokes at it with a trembling finger and finds it doesn’t hurt. Physically, she feels fine. Turning to Thor she catches his tired gaze and promptly bursts into tears. He moves in a flash and sweeps her into his arms and she can’t hear over the sound of her sobs but she’s pretty sure he shoos Loki out. Darcy clings to Thor, confusion and _hope_ warring inside her. She had never confided in anyone that she was worried what would happen if she really let herself fall for Thor. His place was here in Asgard and it was blindingly clear that hers was not. She could never live up to his people’s expectations, especially considering her attachment to her family of misfits back in New York. When she died either by some monster or a rogue bullet, would Thor come back here and find someone more suitable? Darcy knows she’s expendable but she isn’t sure Thor does.

“Nonsense, Darcy. You are speaking foolish. You are irreplaceable and more than fit to stand by my side. Cease your worrying,” Thor hooks a finger under her chin and raises her wet face to him. She hadn’t realized that she’d been rambling aloud. His smile is achingly sincere as he gently brushes her tearstained cheek with his knuckles. “What Loki did was inexcusable, but shall I tell you a secret?” She nods. “I do not resent him for it.”

“Why?” she whispers.

“Because, beloved, while his actions were done without our knowledge, this means that you will stand through time _with me_. And I believe that it was _you_ that brought my brother back to himself. You truly are exceptional.”

“But… I didn’t do anything, Thor.”

“Aye, you did. You gave him something to focus on besides all of the anger and loss he has suffered.”

“You’re not mad that he pretty much gave me the equivalent of a sip from the Fountain of Youth?”

Thor laughs and it brings a watery smile to Darcy’s face. “If you’ll have me, Darcy I would throw a banquet in his honor, because now we can be together regardless of the places of our birth. I would battle any galaxy to have you stand by my side. Do you not see how much I adore you?”

Darcy laughs through her tears and wiggles in his arms to loop hers around his neck. He lifts her feet off the ground and for once, he doesn’t ask as he steadies her with his arms under her backside. It’s reminiscent of the kiss that they’d shared when he’d came back to New York, but this possesses more heat and more desperation in the light of the revelations. Darcy moans into the kiss when his teeth nip her bottom lip and in a blinding flash of green, something akin to the theatrics of a Disney villain, they’re suddenly standing in Thor’s bedchamber. She laughs against Thor’s mouth when he mutters a curse she’s never heard.

“You have to give it to him, he has flair,” Darcy says pulling back to pepper kisses all over Thor’s face.

“He is a pain,” he mumbles as he chases her lips.

“It’s okay to admit that you’re happy he’s back,” she leans in his hold to meet his gaze.

“You knew,” Thor whispers and Darcy nods slowly, feeling very guilty. “Why did you not tell me?”

“You were so happy finally, and he… I don’t think he was ready. I should have and I’m sorry I kept it from you,” she confesses quietly.

Thor observes her and she hangs her head, closing her eyes so she doesn’t have to see the disappointment in his eyes. His lips brush hers light as a feather and his arms tighten around her. “Look at me, Darcy,’ he speaks in a hushed tone. Darcy sighs and opens her eyes. “I am not mad at you. I am only glad that he did not harm you. You mean something to him.”

“Is it bad that I don’t hate him?”

“Nay… nor do I.”

“We’re crazy, aren’t we?”

“Perhaps.”

He mouths at her jaw and Darcy loses her train of thought. Her lips find his once again as the tide of their desire washes back in. Kisses turn frantic as her fingers delve into the thick of his hair. Darcy whines when he lowers her to her feet but doesn’t have the chance to complain when his mouth latches onto her neck and warm hands grasp her hips, pulling her flush against him. Searching fingers find their way under his tunic to splay over his abs. Thor groans when they skim up his torso and over his nipples and short nails score their way back down to the waist of his pants.

Thor loses his shirt and Darcy fires an attack on all of that exposed skin with her hands and mouth. His deft fingers find the ties of the top someone had put her in after the incident and the laces are undone quickly leaving her to gasp when the cool air hits her bare back. Calloused hands span her skin chasing away the goosebumps but Darcy shivers anyway when she meets his eyes. Here there isn’t a cat to interrupt them, a voice to request their presence, or friends to come calling. No one would dare bother Thor when he is supposed to be stationed by her bed sick with worry that she will not wake. Darcy is one hundred and ten percent sure that Loki isn’t going to tell anyone that they aren’t there, and she makes a note to herself to thank him later.

Her fingers dip below his waistband and the muscles in his stomach jump at her touch. Smiling, Darcy sucks a bruise into his chest and soothes the sting with her tongue as she works to undo his pants, the ties making her mutter under her breath when she has to look away from him to see what she’s doing. He laughs low and covers her hands with his to still her attempts.

“Let me,” he whispers and with a couple tugs on the laces his pants fall to their feet.

Darcy’s mouth waters at the sight of him bare and just for her. He doesn’t give her time to explore, though as he moves back to his task of disrobing her. He kisses each inch of skin that he uncovers and by the time she’s as naked as him, she’s aching. She whimpers at the first brush of his hands on her pale skin and he smiles a dark and hungry smile. Backing her toward his bed, he finds her mouth and sips her sighs and moans right from her lips. His fingers are dexterous as they toy between her thighs making her gasp and cling to him. It’s only when she wraps a fist around his hard length in retaliation that he decides she’s more than ready and definitely willing.

He picks her up as if she weighs nothing and gently tosses her atop the bed covers. Darcy laughs and smirks at him as he crawls between her thighs. Her laughter turns to begging when he finds her nipples with his mouth. She tugs his blond locks over a broad shoulder and cradles his face with a palm until he relents and moves up to bless her lips with a kiss. He pulls back to kneel before her and tugs her hips up a little as he arranges them. He wraps his hand around the base of his cock and uses the head to torture her, rubbing over her clit and nudging at her opening. Darcy whimpers, uncaring of how needy she is and is rewarded when he presses into her so very slowly. Their gazes lock when he bottoms out and his arms shake with restraint where they rest by her head while he lets her adjust. She glides her hands up his sides and around his shoulders to grip his sweaty nape, his eyes never wavering as she tugs him down for a sloppy kiss. Swallowing her moan, he groans against her lips as he withdraws from her. It’s slow at first but as the pressure builds inside of her, his hips pick up the pace, snapping and driving him into her.

Usually vocal in bed, Darcy finds herself a breathless mess with Thor’s name and ‘ _yes_ ’ the only things she can say. In a maneuver that would probably make Nat proud, Thor flips their positions and she grabs at his arms as she settles atop him. His hands find her hips and he smiles up at her. All the permission Darcy needs, she begins to move, breasts bouncing with her movement and hair sticking to her sweat slick shoulders and back. Lost in her pleasure, she cries out when Thor sits up, his movement causing him to hit the sweet spot inside her. Looping an arm around his neck for leverage, she uses every muscle in her quivering thighs to ride him. His breath breaks across her skin in pants as he snakes an arm around her to help while his other insinuates itself between them, his thumb finding her swollen nub. She feels her walls clench in warning and Darcy moves faster chasing her release, but to her surprise, Thor’s thumb stills and his arm tightens around her. His hips buck up and Darcy watches in fascination as his frame goes taut with tension, muscles drawing tight as she ticks her gaze up to his. It happens in a split second as his thumb presses down against her clit and as he shudders and spills into her she snaps with a cry. Her walls greedily milk him for every drop and their chests heave in sync as they ride it out together.

Once they come down enough to move, Thor wraps her up in his arms and lays them down on their sides. His grin is bright and the most beautiful thing she’s ever witnessed. She reaches up to brush a damp strand from his brow and he captures her hand, places a kiss to her palm, and holds it over his thundering heart.

“I love you, Darcy.”

“I love you too, big guy.”

He chuckles and tugs her all that much closer before tugging up the blanket over them. Darcy settles against him, completely dazed that that just happened. It had been nothing like she’d expected and _so_ much better.

“Rest, we will feast in the morning.”

“Okay,” she nods and leans her head back to find his lips. He presses his lips to hers tenderly and tucks her back under his chin. They lay in comfortable silence and she takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. They fly open a second later when something occurs to her. “Hey, wait… Earlier, what did you mean ‘if I’ll have you’?”

“I mean to make you mine.”

Darcy’s eyes go wide and she pushes back enough to look up at him, her voice suddenly breathless; “ _What_?”

“I have told you that I want you by my side, Darcy. Do you think I jest?”

“Well, no. But I just thought you meant… How do you mean to make me yours? We’re already dating!”

“As my mother was to my father, I would have you as my equal in every aspect.”

Darcy swallows the lump in her throat and rolls out of his arms onto her back. Thor follows her and hovers above her, reaching to trail his knuckles down the apple of her flushed cheek. He studies her for a moment before speaking softly.

“Do you love me as I love you?” She meets his eyes and nods without hesitation because she _does_. “Then there is nothing to stop us.”

“I live on a different planet,” she points out.

“It makes no difference.”

“I’m not a queen, Thor.”

“I am not a king.”

“But you _will_ be,” she wills him to think of it for just a second but he simply shakes his head.

“I admit that I once wanted nothing more, but I have put away such notions. Besides, I know of another that would be delighted to take my place should the need arise,” he smiles small and happy at her and Darcy can’t argue with that. She also can’t think about Loki being king of Asgard or her head will explode. With a sigh, Darcy pushes him back to the mattress and curls up to his side, fixing the blanket and snuggling in.

“So you, ah… you want to marry me?” she questions quietly.

“Whenever you are ready, yes.”

Relieved and satisfied with that answer, Darcy ignores the fears that the subject brought to light and closes her eyes. It’s a few minutes later when silence has fallen around them that she whispers an ‘I love you’ into his skin and falls asleep. Thor follows on her heels.

 

-

 

The next morning finds Darcy eating breakfast on the balcony, wrapped in a ridiculously large robe that belongs to Thor and ignoring the smirk on Loki’s mouth. Now that he’d outted himself, he’d dropped the servant disguise in favor of his dapper appearance. Darcy was loathe to admit that he looked hot with his untidy hair that was in need of a cut and the Midgard slacks and henley that he chose to wear. By the damn smirk he knew it, too. Or maybe it was due to the fact that she was still sex rumpled and too relaxed to give a flying fuck. Either way; he was being ignored.

She’d woken up to Thor’s head between her thighs and his name on her lips. For the record; morning sex is _awesome_. Afterward, he’d all but dragged her from the warmth of their bed and into a bath where he proceeded to wash her from head to toe. If they hadn’t just had sex, she’s pretty sure she would have climbed him like a tree. But, instead her traitorous body had been so relaxed that she’d fallen asleep much to Thor’s delight. She’d woken up when he lifted her from the cooling water to dry her off and helped her into his robe. He’d deposited her on the edge of the bed and she’d watched him get dressed with a pout as he covered all of his perfect skin. Laughing, he’d kissed her chastely and promised to have breakfast sent to her on his way to speak to Odin.

Loki had been the one to deliver it.

They eye each other, him over his cup and her behind her hunk of bread. She isn’t sure how she feels about him yet. Yes, she’d meant what she’d told Thor about not hating Loki, but that doesn’t mean she likes the fact that he basically poisoned her.

“Don’t be so dramatic. I did not _poison_ you. I improved you, actually.”

Darcy narrows her eyes at him but doesn’t bother commenting. She surprisingly isn’t bothered that he sneaks into her thoughts. She has nothing to hide and he isn’t intrusive. Taking a bite of her bread, she chews slowly never taking her gaze off of him. He rolls his eyes and tells her it’s creepy but doesn’t leave her company. When she finishes her breakfast, she stands and stretches with a groan, her overused muscles complaining.

“Braid my hair?”

“If I must,” he says offhandedly and sits his cup aside motioning her to sit in front of him.

Darcy fishes the brush out of the robe’s pocket she’d stuck there earlier and settles at his feet. Loki plucks the brush from her hand and deftly untangles her hair without a word. Darcy sighs in contentment as his fingers work to tame her curls and the morning sun warms her upturned face. This had been a routine with Calliope and Darcy sees no need to disrupt their morning ritual just because Loki is no longer the girl. She snickers when he snorts behind her.

“You assume much,” he mutters and Darcy grins with a shrug.

“You didn’t say no.”

“Boredom does strange things to one, Pet.”

“I wish you wouldn’t call me that.”

“All the more reason to do so,” he finishes her hair and lightly shoves her shoulders.

“Dork,” she remarks as she gets to her feet.

Before he can make a comeback, the door opens and Thor strides in. Darcy turns and smiles at him but her face falls when she notices the set of his brows. He looks like someone kicked his favorite puppy. Slipping back into the room, Darcy goes to his side and takes his hand.

“What’s wrong?”

“Brother, join us,” he says and pats at her hand.

“Well, I can say I certainly didn’t expect this,” Loki says as he moves to stand in front of them.

“ _What_?” Darcy asks again.

“Father, and I, think it best if you return to Midgard,” he meets her eyes and Darcy frowns.

“But I’m fine! They got the guy that did it, right? Why would he make me go home?”

“Aye, they did take him and we learned why he sought you out,” He gently frees his hand from hers and steps back, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Well? Why’d he do it, then?”

“It is apparent that Loki was correct. The people… _some_ do not want to accept you into the fold. One in particularly, a maiden in the Court who…”

“Oh come now, brother,” Loki sighs and draws Darcy’s attention. “She fancied herself Thor’s and persuaded her brother to get you out of the picture.”

Darcy’s mouth falls open but nothing comes out because, _holy crap, this is a soap opera_. Thor reaches out and grabs her arms making her look back to him. He meets her gaze and Darcy shuts her mouth.

“I’ll not have another harm you, Darcy. On Midgard you have the others to protect you and I can rest easy.”

“You do know that I get hurt in the tower more than I do walking down the streets of Manhattan, right?”

“I am aware…” he trails off and his eyes cast Loki a glance that makes Darcy suddenly suspicious.

“What else? What aren’t you telling me?”

Thor clears his throat and sighs wearily. “Father has decided that as punishment for his actions, Loki will be exiled to Midgard. With you. He must prove that he is finished with his reign of terror and then, and only then, will he be allowed to return home.”

Darcy’s head whips around to look at Loki. He looks like a little boy that was just told to go to bed without supper. Oh, this is bad…

“Don’t worry your pretty head, Pet. We just have to survive somehow.”

His words don’t make her any less terrified.

Darcy’s morning is quickly turned upside down. After she dresses she and Loki follow Thor to Odin’s throne room. He gives his adopted son his sentence in a bored tone that makes Darcy really want to punch him. Yes, Loki has done wrong but he’s _trying_ to make amends, right? He saved her life. A hand closing around her left one makes her blink away her thoughts as she glances up. Loki gives her a knowing smile and she’d dare to say it’s grateful.

The next hour is a blur of goodbyes and well wishes. Volstagg actually tears up and makes Darcy do the same. Fandral hugs her tightly despite Thor’s warning that he’d put Mjölnir on his chest while he’s napping. Sif’s embrace is tight and she whispers to Darcy that she’ll be there in a blink should she have any problems. Darcy offers her a smile and nods. Sif eyes Loki but doesn’t say anything to him. Darcy takes his hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze. Hefting her backpack up onto her shoulders, she turns to Heimdall and gives him a grin.

“I’ll be watching, Lady Darcy. Worry not.”

Darcy ignores her teary eyes and nods as Thor moves to her side. Loki steps back to give them a moment to say goodbye. Unashamed, she throws her arms around Thor and clings to him. His arms band tightly around her and he whispers “I love you,” into her ear. He wipes her tears and leans down kissing her thoroughly breathless despite their audience. Whistles sound and Darcy pulls away laughing and Thor grins.

“I promise to return as soon as things are settled here.”

“You better!”

“Loki will keep you safe.”

Taking a deep breath, she nods and hugs him with all her might before pulling away and wiping her face off with a fist. “I know. You stay safe, too, okay?” He nods and Darcy takes another step back, the hand at the small of her back stopping her. “I love you.”

“And I you, Darcy.”

Grinning, Darcy waves to the others then turns into Loki’s side and winds her arms around his middle.

“Brother, I trust you,” Thor says and Darcy feels Loki take a deep breath and nod.

“All will be well when you return,” he promises and twines his arms about her tightly.

Darcy smiles at Thor when his eyes leave his brother’s and meets hers. Then in a blink the world turns white with cracks of rainbow striking through and Loki’s arms tighten as they hurtle through space.

 

\- - -

 

They land on the top of Stark’s ridiculous monument moments later and Loki blinks at the sun that hits his eyes. He glances down at the woman clinging to him and sighs. He always seems to get himself into these situations, but maybe this one won’t be such a hardship. It takes precisely one minute and thirty two seconds for Darcy to acclimate to her surroundings and let him go. He steadies her with a hand on her back and she gives him a small smile. Regrettably, he returns it.

“Welcome home, Pet.”

“I could say the same to you,” she remarks and he rolls his eyes. Living here was not going to be thrilling, that was for sure.

“Very funny,” he pokes her side and smirks when she jumps.

“Watch it, jackass!”

“You wound me,” he deadpans and Darcy turns her back to him heading for a door that will undoubtedly lead them into the building.

“I’m sure you can handle it,” she says and her steps stall making him collide with her back as said door flies open. He moves in a flash to block her from the oncoming attack, nothing but adrenaline fueling his actions.

“YOU’RE HOME—” the one they call Hawkeye stops almost as abruptly as Darcy had. His gaze hones in on Loki and he has enough sense to feel dread in the pit of his stomach. His fingers flinch where they’re wrapped around Darcy’s wrist and the archer’s keen eyes tick down to the movement. If looks could kill, Loki bargains that he’d have burst into flames right about now.

“Heh,” Darcy laughs without any humor and he feels her press into his back and hook her chin over his shoulder. “We forgot a minor detail, didn’t we?”

“I would think so, yes…” he says evenly, his gaze trained on the man blocking the door.

As if his day could get any worse, Loki watches as first the redheaded warrior then the two super soldiers step out onto the landing. He prays to Hel that the green one isn’t nearby. With everyone on sudden alert, Loki eases his hand away from Darcy and raises both palms in surrender. The Captain steps forward to stand next to Hawkeye and Loki sighs.

“I bear no ill will.”

Darcy chooses that moment to pull away from him and he feels oddly vulnerable without her at his back. She moves around him and places herself between him and her friends. Their eyes narrow in collective suspicion.

“Calm down!” Darcy declares. “It’s a long story, but hey, I’m home!”

“Explain,” the Widow leaves no room for disobedience.

Darcy rolls her eyes and shrugs her backpack off, dumping it to rest atop her feet before answering. “Long story short, he’s alive and everyone knows. He saved my life and Odin,” Loki likes how her tongue snarls around the name, “exiled him. Which is just an excuse to have him shadow me because Thor’s an overprotective, yet adorable, idiot.”

“Saved your—I think I’ve heard enough,” the soldier with the metal arm proclaims before everything goes to hell.

Loki has to give it to them; they have been practicing and are now a well oiled machine, a far cry from the first time he faced them. The Widow moves in first and snatches Darcy away from him as the Captain leaps onto him, trapping his arms to his sides. The last thing he sees is the glint of the sun off of the metal fist aiming for his face, then it’s lights out.   

 

 


	5. No regrets to be had.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy talks to some folks...

 

“If you don’t shut up, I swear I will hex you!”

“Bring it, Hermione!”

“I’m serious, Stark,” Darcy’s tone is taxed through gritted teeth.

“Come on, where’s your wand? Did Thor’s daddy give you one? Or maybe it was that asshole, seeing as how you’ve clearly lost your damn mind.”

Groaning more with annoyance at how his pet is being spoken to than with the pain throbbing in his head, Loki cracks an eye open.

“Oh good, he’s awake, this should be fun.”

Turning his head, he’s greeted by Darcy’s concerned brown eyes and a scowling Tony Stark breathing down her neck. “Ow,” he jokes just to see her gaze warm and takes great pleasure when her angry shadow huffs and turns away. Loki sits up, wincing at the sharp stab of pain that hits his temple at the movement. Darcy moves from her position next to the couch he’s on to plop down next to him; he’s mildly moved when she settles into his side and proud because he knows it’s purely out of spite. The others in the room are in states ranging from thinly veiled curiosity to out right disgust.

They all stare at the two of them.

“Well?” asks Barton, his hand steadfast around his bow. Loki swallows thickly.

He glances at the petite menace leaning into his side and quirks a brow in question.

“ _They think you killed your brother then kidnapped me for your own nefarious plans. Apparently you’re controlling my mind,_ ” Darcy’s voice is simultaneously amused and vexed inside his head.

“Oh, really,” he says aloud with a small tilt to his lips. Darcy shrugs with a sigh and Loki, ignoring the eyes on them, twists and dips his head till he’s nose to nose with his brother’s precious fiancé. Her eyes narrow but they sparkle with something akin to mischief. “And whatever shall we do?” he whispers.

“Alright, I’ve had enough,” a stern voice interrupts whatever Darcy had opened her mouth to say. She pushes him away with a hand on his chest but doesn’t remove herself from his side. Loki’s brows furrow as her thoughts are gently tugged from his mind as well with the crossing of her arms over her chest. It’s his turn to sigh as he returns his attention to their scowling audience.

“Enough of what exactly, Captain?”

The man towering behind the glowering soldier with the metal arm gives him a glare that is sure to kill enemies in combat. “This song and dance! Whatever you’re doing to our girl needs to stop. We—”

“Steve!” Darcy pushes to her feet, her hands hitching on her hips. “I’ve told you what happened.”

“But, Darce, you can’t expect us to believe…”

Loki fights back a smirk at the kicked puppy look that replaces the glare on the soldier’s face.

“Wasn’t it you that told me everyone deserves a second chance?” She raises a hand to stall his response. “ _Everyone_ , Steve. That includes Loki.” Her other hand flies up and points a warning at Stark whose mouth is open. “I’m not going to repeat myself, so all of you are just gonna have to get over it. He’s here and he’s staying. If you don’t like it then I suppose it’s time for me to go apartment hunting.”

Everyone stares at her in horror but Darcy ignores them. Loki can’t quite control the smirk that decorates his mouth when she turns back to him and shoves a hand out, wiggling fingers. Taking her hand he rises to his feet and allows her to drag him out of the room. He suspects he should be rather irritated that this slip of a woman is speaking for him, taking up for him. He suspects that he should be rather angry that he’s allowing her to flaunt his mustard seed size of remorse for his previous misdeeds. He _suspects_ that he should be terrified of what she’s making him feel. This warm sweep of affection isn’t something he wants or needs, but it’s there. Damn her.

“Thanks for the welcome home, guys,” Darcy calls bitterly as they depart, shaking him from his thoughts. Untangling his hand from hers, Loki drapes an arm over her shoulders and tucks her into his side. He’s proud of his pet.

“I am truly sorry that didn’t go as planned,” he says conversationally.

“Eh, it could have gone worse,” she shrugs, steering them towards the sleek silver doors of the lift. “Sorry Bucky punched you.”

“I shall live.”

Before Darcy can punch the button on the wall the door slides open revealing Thor’s old flame and the Green one. Loki’s arm tightens around Darcy as an actual tendril of fear curls in his stomach. He had honestly hoped to never see either of them again.

“Darcy!” Lady Jane yelps. “I came as soon as I—Loki?”

“Where are your quarters, Pet?”

“67th floor…” her arms snake around his waist as if to shield him from the tiny woman who’s pale and the flashing green eyes of the other man. Loki barely gives her time to say; “Later, Janey!” before he sifts them to a floor hopefully empty of superheroes. He’s had quite enough of them for the day, thanks.

 

\- - -

 

Darcy kicks her shoes off and promptly collapses across her couch in a boneless heap. She’s pretty sure her head is going to explode if one more person glares at her. What a mess. Groaning, she plucks her glasses off and carelessly drops them to the floor, burying her face into a green throw pillow. She’d honestly forgotten that the other occupants of the tower might protest Loki’s presence. In the chaos that had been her last day in Asgard, it had slipped her mind that her family hated him. Yeah, so it was awesome that they cared about her, sweet, really. But the fact remained that she isn’t stupid and would never bring harm to them. Apparently she’d misjudged their faith in her. Why couldn’t they just believe her? Why were they questioning her sanity?

Turning over onto her back, she sighs dramatically. “Want to get drunk?” she asks the ceiling.

“No thank you,” is the polite, dry response she receives.

“How about food?”

“Are you cooking, Pet?”

“Pizza.”

“Ah… well, if it pleases the lady.”

Rolling her eyes, Darcy sits up and glances around till she spots the cause of her current drama.

“Shall I leave you to face the wolves alone, then?”

“Get out of my head, idiot. You know what I meant,” she sighs and rubs her eyes with her knuckles. “Gods, I need a hot shower and a nap… but food first. Can you voodoo my bag from wherever I left it?”

Loki casts her a squinty look over his shoulder but with a wave of his hand her bag drops into her lap making her jump. Muttering a few choice words under her breath that make him chuckle as he turns back to the window, Darcy gets up. He might be an ass but maybe this wouldn’t be as bad as they both thought.

“Right, you stand there and look pretty, or whatever, I’m gonna go shower,” she nods and makes her way to her room. Gazing longingly at her bed, she tosses her bag onto it and makes a beeline for her phone, plugging it in to charge. Oh sweet Sif, she’s missed it. Rooting around her drawers for clean clothes (sweats) Darcy heads for the shower. She takes her time, ignoring all of the problems floating around her head, and lets the hot water wash the tension from her shoulders. The fruity scent of her body wash slows her racing thoughts and Darcy is loathe to get out once she’s all pruney. Dressing in her usual slouchy sweatpants and stolen Science! shirt, she wraps her hair in a towel then goes to make sure Loki hasn’t gone AWOL.

The sight that greets her when she steps back into her living room makes her grin. Sitting on her couch with his head resting back on a cushion is Loki, and Apollymi purrs in his lap as his fingers scratch behind an ear. Oh, Tony is going to be so pissed that her cat likes Loki and not him.

“Welcome home, Miss Darcy,” Jarvis alerts them to her appearance and Loki opens his eyes to glare at the ceiling.

“Hello, my darling J-Man,” she replies and at the sound of her voice Apollymi raises her head, keen eyes zeroing in on her before she abruptly leaps from Loki’s lap, padding over to her. Loki turns his gaze to follow the cat and Darcy sits down in the floor right where she is, scooping her cat up into her arms. Apollymi meows her hello and headbutts her face as Darcy nuzzles the soft fur of her neck.

“Apologies for not welcoming you home sooner. I took the liberty of ordering your favorite pizza while you were in the shower.”

“J, I love you and I have missed you more than you know.”

“I believe the term is ‘Ditto’ Miss Darcy. Also, welcome, Sir.”

Darcy hides a smile in Apollymi’s fur when Loki’s brow arches.

“Thank you, I suppose…”

“Your dinner should arrive in thirteen minutes, Miss Darcy.”

Darcy nods and lets Apollymi down before getting up. Glancing at the Asgardian on her couch as she brushes the cat hair off, she muses on the fact that he looks right at home. If he’s in her head (no doubt he is) he neglects to comment on her thoughts.

“So you like animals? How’d she get in anyway? I figured Nat would hold her hostage for a while.”

“That is no mere feline, and the door simply opened and she walked right in.”

“What do you mean?” Darcy bends at the waist to undo the towel holding her hair, using it to blot it dry a little.

“She is your familiar. What have you named her?”

Flipping her head back up, she blinks confusedly at Loki. “Apollymi… she’s my _what_?”

“Ah, Goddess of destruction… at least you have proper taste in names. And I said she is your familiar, your guide of sorts.”

“Riiiiiight, and next you’re going to ask me if I’m a good witch or a bad witch.”

“You have noted the odd shade of her eyes, correct? And does she not seem cleverer than most animals, more devoted and attuned to you?”

“Cats are always like that, she’s a sweetheart.”

“Not likely. Come, Pet, you know something has shifted since you acquired her.”

“Well, maybe she’s a little protective of me, but—”

“Ah-ha! Who has she inflicted pain upon?”

“…Tony.”

“I like her a little more now.”

Darcy glares at him and tosses her damp towel into his face when she passes him. “So you’re saying I’m a witch?”

“No, my foolish dear, I would be terrified if you had any kind of power,” he remarks huffily. “Not every familiar belongs to a witch. Odin has ravens, for example.”

“You used him as an example, really?” Darcy questions, her voice muffled where her head is currently stuck in the fridge.

“Humor me. Familiars are guides. They find those who need assistance, whether it be emotional or more of a push in the right direction. Or in his case, they can be used to do bidding, act as spies and such.”

Darcy thinks back to when she’d gotten Apollymi, the state of loneliness she’d been in, the ache of missing Thor, the repetitive days. Popping the tops off two beers, she considers that maybe he has a point. Moving back into the living room, she hands Loki a bottle and sits down crooked on the couch to face him.

“Okay, say I believe you. Hypothetically, does that mean since I have a ‘bond’ with you and will live a little longer that she will too?”

“It’s a possibility, yes.”

“Are you messing with me?”

“Would I ever?” he smiles at her and she shivers and swats his arm.

“Cool, I’m a witch now. Witches are cool.”

“You are not a wit—”

“Shhh, drink your beer and don’t ruin it!” She grins and downs half of her own bottle.

“Delivery is in the lobby, Miss Darcy.”

“FOOD!” she bellows and clambers off the couch. Darcy snatches her towel from Loki’s thigh and steps over his outstretched legs. Slipping into her room to grab her phone, headphones, and wallet, she tosses her towel towards the hamper. If she has her ear buds in then no one will attempt to talk to her. Mock saluting her houseguest, she leaves her apartment in her socks.

Bringing up her ‘H’ playlist once she’s in the elevator, she hums along to The Heavy’s ‘Can’t Play Dead’. She isn’t surprised when her descent is paused and the doors slide open. Barton hesitates noticeably before Nat nudges him into the box. Darcy gives them a tight smile and shifts her eyes to the numbers. Although she’s sad because she missed them horribly, she is really in no mood to be told she’s insane again. However, a tap on her shoulder draws her up short. Barton tugs on the cord of her headphones and Darcy sighs, popping one out.

“Yeah?”

“Did you have a nice trip?”

“Seriously, you’re leading with that?”

Barton shrugs albeit a little sheepishly. “Seemed like a good place to start.” Natasha rolls her eyes behind him.

“Okay, well, it was awesome… minus the getting stabbed part,” she says and it’s her turn to shrug nonchalantly.

“You were _stabbed_? What the fuck, Darcy?!”

Darcy grits her teeth when he reaches out and pulls her around to face him. Nat has gone still, becoming a shadow waiting to strike. “Dude, lay off, I’m alright! Some chick didn’t like Thor’s new girlfriend and had her brother try and get rid of the competition. _Clearly_ it didn’t work!” They stare at her and she just knows deep down that they’re dying to physically cart her off to medical to get checked out. Darcy squares her shoulders and shakes Barton’s hand off of her. It’s a few seconds before anyone speaks.

“Is that what you meant when you said Loki saved your life?” Nat questions.

“Yep. He had been posing as a servant (she leaves out the fact that it had been a female and close to her) and he was in the market with me and Sif when it happened. He risked exposing who he really was to save me.” She also leaves out the part about her being bonded to him for the rest of eternity.

Nat narrows her eyes, searching Darcy for any tells that she’s lying. Darcy knows she isn’t stupid and will know that she’s omitting things, but she really doesn’t feel like hashing any of that out at the moment. Barton’s frown is deep and as much as she’s annoyed at them, she really just wants everything back to normal.

“You’re not worried about him being here? Living in your apartment?”

“Nope,” she pops the ‘p’ and shrugs. It really isn’t their business that she’s used to him, that he’s endeared himself to her. She loves them and she recognizes the jealousy that’s masquerading as anger. “I trust him,” she states with finality and not a shred of a lie to be found just as Jarvis, bless his robotic heart, opens the door of the elevator. Before leaving them, though, she can’t resist throwing her arms around Barton and squeezing him with all of her might. She pecks Nat on the cheek and flees out into the lobby before they can say anything else.

 

-

 

After Darcy snags the pizza and makes her way back up to her floor without further incident, she eases back into her apartment and plops the boxes onto the coffee table. Loki takes one look at her, no doubt snooping around in her mind, sighs a great, dramatic sigh and gets to his now bare feet. Darcy quirks a brow at him in question as she upends her pockets before settling on the couch.

“I shall retrieve the liquor.”

Darcy kind of loves him.

For the remainder of the afternoon and long into the night, they eat and drink. Darcy forces him to watch The Walking Dead and cries on his shoulder when Beth gets kidnapped again. Loki asks why she watches it again when she knows the outcome and she tells him the definition of insane. He wholeheartedly agrees that she is indeed insane. She’d be offended if it were anyone else. When her seemingly endless supply of alcohol is cut off and she’s happily blitzed, Loki carries her to bed. He takes her glasses off and places them on her nightstand before turning to leave. She makes grabby hands at him, not exactly up to being alone, even though the reason why is beyond fuzzy. Darcy smiles drunkenly and lazy when he rolls his eyes and mutters something about insufferable humans. But he settles in next to her after voodooing his clothes into Midgardian pajamas. Head swirling with fireflies and unsure of why she’d needed to get drunk in the first place, Darcy wraps herself around her scowling prince (he makes an undignified snort when she calls him this aloud) and sighs in contentment. She’d loved Asgard and she loves Thor, but there’s nothing like being home and in your own bed after a vacation.

She falls asleep warm and in good company.

 

    

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this was so short but just consider it sort of a filler chapter, yeah? Plus it's been a while and I really wanted to get something out. 
> 
>  
> 
> P.S. We're getting mighty close to the end.


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